Chuck Versus Codename Renegade
by SeaJay28
Summary: Chuck is worried about his cover... So is Sarah. General Beckman devises a rather unique plan to protect him, but the new girl she sends seems to have her own agenda. I suck at summaries. Just Read. Slightly AU. Chapter 22 posted. enjoy!
1. Beginning of a Revelation

_**Hey, So this is my first fanfic, so please be nice with the reviews! It's something that I have had in the back of my head for about 6 months and I just needed to get it written down.**_

_**I DO NOT OWN CHUCK OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. I DO OWN JAMIE ELIZABETH BARTOWSKI AND OTHER CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY THAT ARE NOT ACTUALLY IN THE SHOW. PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF I HAVE USED NAMES THAT OTHERS HAVE ALREADY USED, IT IS COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL.  
**_

**Beginning of a Revelation **

Chuck Bartowski was on his way back from an emergency computer repair job. He drove along, nodding his head in time with the beat of the tune he was listening to, but his mind was somewhere else. He was thinking about his cover life. The life that he told everyone he lived. Yes, he loved computers, televisions, and all the cool gidgy-gadgets that went along with them, but he was growing tired of the lies. Always having to lie to his family about where he had been or what he had been up to was starting to wear on him. He was also concerned that they were getting suspicious about his stories. Being pretty much the world's most important spy, he knew that lying to his family was for their own protection, but still…

Chuck's superior officer, General Diane Beckman, was aware of Chuck's concerns. He had had them for a while, and she was working on a solution. Believe me; she was not going to let the most important piece of U.S. intelligence live in doubt about his safety or his cover.

In the recent months, Chuck Bartowski had begun dating his former handler, Sarah Walker. She was the love of his life and vice versa. Sarah was concerned about Chuck's safety, especially now that she was dating him for real instead of just a cover relationship. She was worried that if Chuck got into a tight situation that she might be so compromised, she wouldn't be able to react quickly enough to save him. She also had expressed her concerns to the General, who smiled and assured her that she was working on a solution. Sarah, in turn assured Chuck that everything was going to be okay, but both of them continued to remain unsure.

Back in the present, Chuck was driving down the road on his way to this supposed "computer emergency", all the while thinking about these things and how he could possibly keep the masquerade up much longer. True, some of his Nerd Herd calls were legit, like the one he was currently en route from, but many of what he explained to his co-workers as "computer emergencies" was actually National Security emergencies that needed the computer he had in his brain. Dates with Sarah were oftentimes rattled with bullet holes and bombs, and his and Morgan's game nights oftentimes consisted of writing lengthy mission reports and investigating "the bad guys" as they had dubbed their enemies.

Chuck's mind was whirling so fast with all these thoughts that he almost did not notice the red light. He stopped abruptly, almost too late and breathed a sigh of relief all too soon…

**SMASH! **

Chuck felt his car lunge forward and backward. He felt his head hit the steering wheel and then lash back, and it took him a couple seconds to realize what happened; he had been rear-ended. He looked in his rear-view mirror, and, much to his surprise, he saw that it was another Herder.

A mid-height brunette stepped out of the car and ran over to his window. She knocked frantically several times before he finally opened the door and go out.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" She asked frantically. "I am so sorry. And embarrassed. My first week out on the job and I get in a car accident with another Herder."

"Hey, it's okay, just a couple of dents and a bit of whiplash. Don't worry about it.'' Chuck smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. I should probably give you my information though, just in case." The girl smiled, and Chuck couldn't help but think that he had seen that smile before.

"Let's get these Herders out of the middle of the street." Chuck said

They drove the damaged cars into a nearby parking lot. Then they both stepped out of their cars to exchange information.

"Here's my card." Chuck said. "You can give that to your supervisor."

"I don't have a card yet so I'll write my stuff down." The girl said, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen.

"So what branch do you work at?" Chuck inquired as the girl was writing down her info. "I have never seen you at the Burbank Buy More."

"That's because I work at the Beverly Hills branch." She laughed.

She handed him her information and he took it. He looked at it and couldn't believe his eyes.

"Your name is Jamie Bartowski?"

"What, do I know you from somewhere?'' She replied.

"My name is _Chuck_ Bartowski!" Chuck declared.

"Oh really? I didn't even look at your card. Wow, that's really cool." Jamie smiled. "Oh my god, I have to go. I promised my client that I would be there a half an hour ago!'' She got back in her car. Despite the damage, it was still drivable.

Jamie drove over to where he was standing rolled down her window. "It was nice meeting you, Chuck."

"Yeah, you too, especially since we're probably cousins. Say, your dad's name wouldn't happen to be Patrick, would it? That's my dad's brother."

"Nope," She replied, "my dad's name is Stephen. I really need to go. See you around, Chuck." With that she drove away.

He stared at her vanishing taillights in utter shock. Had he just heard her right? It could be coincidence, but what if it wasn't? Could it actually be that this girl was… his sister?

_**So what did you think? Please review! And remember, be kind.**_


	2. Frustration, Lies and Pursuit of Truth

_**So here is my second Chapter, I hope that everyone liked the first chapter that I wrote. This one is a cliffhanger.**_

_**I do not own Chuck. **_

**Frustration, Lies, and the Pursuit of the Truth**

"I'm so damn tired of this, Sarah!" Chuck burst out. "What am I going to tell Ellie? I can't believe we missed Thanksgiving."

"Chuck, just tell her that you and I went on a trip, then your car broke down and you had no cell phone service." Sarah replied calmly. "It's kind of half-true, I mean, we DID go on a trip and the car DID break down."

"Well I do suppose that minus the part where I was held hostage, Casey was poisoned and you killed three mercenaries, it's totally true." Chuck laughed quietly, but Sarah could sense the resentment in his voice.

"Chuck, I know that all the lying has been getting to you. Just know that I understand." Sarah said comfortingly. "And rest assured, sweetheart, General Beckman has promised to figure out a way to make it easier for you."

"Yeah, right, Sarah, How could she possibly make it easier for me to lie?" Chuck was getting frustrated.

"She is sending another person to the team. Basically a professional liar. I just found that out a few days ago, and that's all I know." Sarah said.

"No name, codename, not even a picture?" Chuck probed.

"Chuck, they will be here soon enough, and you'll know everything about them that you need to know." Sarah reassured him.

"Okay, well, right now I'm going to go explain to my sister why I missed one of her most important days of the year." Chuck said bitterly.

"Chuck, you'll do fine. Just remember, Trip, Car trouble, no cell phone." With that, she kissed him lightly on the lips and finished with "see you when you get home."

Chuck half smiled and went over to his sister's apartment.

Well, it was hell. Oh, Ellie wasn't upset, no, no, Elle was_ furious. _Finally Chuck was able to calm her down and explain his half truth story to her, which, when she heard it, she forgave him. Chuck still felt bad though, and knew in that moment that if he ever had to come up with another lie without some help, he would have to tell her the truth.

NEXT DAY— BURBANK BUY MORE

Chuck sat at the Nerd Herd desk, thinking about the girl that he had met in the fender bender about a week before. Who was she? He hadn't really had the time to do any research, but he couldn't wait any longer. He pulled up a search engine on his computer and typed "Jamie Bartowski" into the box. A couple Facebook pages came up, but neither of them was hers. He was beginning to wonder who this girl really was, and there was only one way to find out… ask her.

He took the rest of the day off and drove to the Beverly Hills Buy More. Their Nerd Herd desk was in a far corner of the store, so he didn't see it right away, but when he did, he walked over there and saw her sitting at the desk with a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other.

She looked up "Well, well." She exclaimed, "if it isn't my_ probably _cousin! What are you doing here Chuck?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you. But if now's a bad time…"

Jamie cut him off. "Now's a good a time as any. It's just that I have this computer that I have no idea what the problem is with it and I wrote down all of the things that could be wrong with it, and no diagnosis fits the problem completely. I could actually use a break." She smiled.

They went around the corner to a little coffee shop and sat down at one of the tables.

"So, _probably_ cousin, what's up?"

"It's just something that you said in the parking lot the other day. About your father." Chuck was starting to get really nervous. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"All I said was that my father's name is Stephen..." Jamie looked confused, but then Chuck cut her off.

"_My _Father's name is Stephen!"

Jamie no longer looked confused, but what confused Chuck was why she did not look surprised or shocked. In fact she looked completely emotionless.

"Jamie who are you really?"

"Well, in high school my friends called me Renegade, but other than that…"

Jamie said more, but Chuck didn't hear her. He flashed.

He came out of it just as Jamie was saying "Chuck, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," he half-grinned. "Just got a major headache all of a sudden." He rubbed his temples slightly. Oh, God, this girl was a spy. One of the best in the CIA, her codename was Renegade and the only person in the CIA better than her at most types of combat was one, Sarah Walker. What did this girl want, and why was she here under the alias of Jamie Bartowski? Or was it an alias? Could it be possible that this actually was his sister and that the CIA had assigned her here for some reason? Chuck knew that the intersect could be wrong about some CIA agents who had just been recruited into the Ring, so he knew that he would need to walk through these next few moments very carefully.

"No you didn't Chuck."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you did not just get a headache."

"Jamie, what are you talking about? You know that that did not sound the least bit crazy right?" Chuck asked sarcastically.

"Chuck," she leaned in closely and whispered, "I know that you just flashed on me."

_**Cliffhanger, right? So, is Jamie really Chuck's sister? I'll try and answer that in the next chapter. Please review, and please be kind.**_


	3. The Truth Revealed

_**Here is Chapter 3. I just want to say that Shaw does come up in this story at some point, but he is dead. I really hate the Shaw character, I always have. But in this fic, Shaw did exist and Chuck did kill him in Paris. Justin does not exist and Ellie still has no clue about Chuck, although she may find out later in the story. I will have to see how it goes.**_

_**This is a short chapter, And I know it's a little lame, but I will try to get chapter 4 put up really soon which will bring the drama back again.**_

_**I do not own Chuck.**_

**The Truth Revealed **

Chuck glared at Jamie. A look of baffled shock covered his face. How could she possibly know?

"How… how? He stammered.

"Chuck, why don't we take a drive or go somewhere where there aren't a million ears.'' Jamie said.

"Oh no. Uh-uh. I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me who you really are."

"Renegade, Chuck, Renegade! My God, What _DID_ the General tell you about me?"

"Nothing."

"Oh boy," She breathed.

"What?" Chuck was more confused now than ever before in this conversation. "Just tell me, Jamie, who are you really?"

"Well I guess I have no choice," She scoffed. "Okay, here goes: I am Special Agent Jamie Elizabeth Bartowski and I have been assigned to your team to help protect your cover."

He eyed her like he was expecting her to say more.

"I'm your supposed professional liar." She said.

Still, no reaction.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am actually your sister."

Even though it came as no surprise to him when she said that she was his sister, for some reason he felt that he had just been hit with a bomb or something. He didn't know what to say exactly, so he just took her had, shook it, and said "Welcome to the team."

"Chuck, you just found out that you have another sister, and all you can give her is a limp handshake and a half hearted comment about being the new member of a CIA team?"

"What am I supposed to say?" Chuck asked exasperatedly.

Then, they both laughed a hearty, heartwarming laugh. They both stood up and Chuck took her in his arms and whispered, "Welcome to the family Jamie."

She looked up at him and smiled warmly. "Thanks," She whispered back.

The left the coffee shop. Chuck was still unsure of whether or not to trust her, but he decided to go with hisw gut and hope that if there was any trouble that the intersect would get him out of it.

The drive back to Chuck's apartment was strangely silent. Chuck had all these questions that he wanted to ask her, but he couldn't figure out how to start.

He stopped in front of his apartment complex and broke the silence. "So do you want to come in and meet Ellie?"

"No," Jamie sighed, "I think I should meet with the rest of the team first before I go socializing with your friends and family."

Chuck understood completely, but there were two other things that he still needed to understand.

"Can I ask you a question, Jamie?"

"Sure." Jamie replied.

"Last week, when you rear-ended me was that…"

"To make contact with you?" Jamie interrupted. "Yes, much to my embarrassment, it was."

"Really." Chuck chuckled slightly. Couldn't you have just walked into the Buy More with a broken computer or something?"

She laughed. "I wasn't really supposed to make contact with you yet, I was supposed to stand off and observe from a distance, but it wasn't working. I wasn't learning anything about you. I needed to see what you were like, so I made it look like an accident." One thing you should know is that I'm always defying standard protocol. It makes me the spy that I am, Chuck, and the government puts up with it because I always get the job done. They don't call me Renegade for nothing."

Chuck must have been satisfied with that answer, because the next thing that he said was, "Can I ask another question?"

"Of course" Jamie replied.

"How do you know about the intersect?''

"Well, I was briefed on the team, and on you, so I know about your super computer brain, and, well-- I worked on the intersect."

"You worked on the intersect? You mean like, building it?"

"Yes." When I was a kid The government saw a lot of potential in me as an analyst. I was a kid genius and was recruited at the age of 13. It was when I was 16 that my handler saw that I had great potential as a field agent as well, especially since my secret superpower is being able to make anyone believe anything that I say, making it easy for me to maintain a cover. I excelled at combat training as well and became one of the few agents that could hold a candle to Agent Sarah Walker."

Chuck dropped her off at her hotel, and that was that. He opted not to tell Sarah or Casey about her. He figured that when they needed to know about Jamie, she would tell them herself.

_**So please, please, please review! **_


	4. Welcome to the Team: Part I

_**Here is Chapter 4. I originally was going to make this a part of Chapter 3, but decided against it (In case you haven't noticed, I have updated Chapter 3 to an actual Chapter instead of an Author's Note). The second part of chapter 4 is going to have more drama in it than Chapter 3 or Chapter 4 part I. **_

_**In my story, Chuck and Ellie's mom left when Chuck was 6 or 7 instead of when he was in the 5**__**th**__** Grade as mentioned in "Chuck vs. the Best Friend." (Season 2, Episode 14)**_

_**I do not own Chuck. **_

**Welcome to the Team: Part I**

Jamie's Story

Jamie lay in her bed that night, smiling to herself. She had always wanted to meet the rest of her family, and over the past few years had been continually requesting to be stationed in Burbank just for that reason. She couldn't believe that she had just had coffee with her big brother—the big brother she had been dying to meet since she was a little girl.

Her mother, Elizabeth Coleman Bartowski, was Chuck and Ellie's mom as well. When Elizabeth left her husband and children, she was unknowingly pregnant. Jamie was born prematurely, and barely survived, which mad Elizabeth dote on her quite a bit. Jamie had an immense hunger for knowledge, and was as smart as a whip, Elizabeth did everything that she could to facilitate Jamie's Love for learning.

Elizabeth rarely talked about Stephen, Ellie or Chuck, but when she did, she would always end with, 'I will never stop loving them'. Jamie never understood why her mother left her family, and was always afraid that she would do the same thing to Jamie. So, she buried herself in her studies and was at twelfth grade level in every major subject by the time she was thirteen, which was the same year that her mother died. It was shortly after that that she was recruited by the government. Through them, she got a four-year college degree in two years, after which she began working as an analyst on the intersect project.

After a year, Jamie's handler, Marcus Reed, began noticing qualities in her that would make her the ideal field agent. He began teaching her everything that she needed to know to be a real spy. He wanted Sarah Walker to instruct her on combat skills, but as usual, Sarah was off somewhere saving the world.

Marcus Reed was not going to settle for second best when it came to his asset's spy training. He had pretty much raised her from the time that she was thirteen so she was like a daughter to him. To Jamie, Marcus was the father she never had. Throughout her training, he watched out for her and made sure that she got the best training available.

Since Agent Walker was not available, Marcus had arranged for someone from another government agency to be Jamie's sensei. Apparently he was one of the best in the business. Jamie never knew his real name, but she knew that she would never forget his face. He was quite a bit older than her, but he was the first crush she ever had. He was her sensei for 3 years, and over that two years, they became fairly close friends. It was at the end of those 3 years he was reassigned. He left without even saying goodbye and Jamie cried for the whole night after he left. Almost three more years had passe since then and she was pretty sure she had gotten over her crush on him and her devastation over him leaving, but she still often wondered what happened to him. She didn't know how she would react if she ever saw him again though.

After her training was completed, Jamie went on a lot of different missions with a lot of different partners. There was really no one she worked very well with, and she would often go against protocol, but she would always emerge victorious. This had earned her the name "Renegade." She was ever the rebel, and most of the agents that she partnered with couldn't stand working with her.

Six months ago, Marcus Reed had died suddenly. He had been shot and killed by a sniper. Jamie was in Malaysia when it happened, and her CIA director was kind enough to send her an email that night telling her what happened. Jamie was overcome with grief and cried in her partner's arms for the rest of the night. It was the next day that she requested an immediate transfer back to Langley, a request which was granted immediately.

Jamie remembered the day when she got back to Langley and walked into Director Tom Lewis's office.

"_Agent Bartowski, it's good to see you." Lewis had said. "I am very sorry about Reed. I know how close you two were, and I just wanted to offer my condolences. If there is anything I can do, please, let me know."_

"_Thank you, sir." Jamie whispered staring at the floor. Then she looked up at him. "I want to find the man who did this."_

"_Jamie, we already have a team on it. I'm sorry, but you are just too emotionally involved with this case for me to let you on the team."_

_Jamie nodded her head and silently looked back down at the floor. She looked back up and said, " Mr. Lewis, you said that if there was anything you could do for me, to let you know. Well, if I can't be on the team investigating Marcus's murder, then I have another request."_

"_Well, what is it?"_

"_Send me to Los Angeles. I want to meet my family, sir."_

_The director sighed, " I'll talk to General Beckman and see what I can arrange."_

"_Thank you sir," Jamie said, and then turned to exit._

"_Oh, and Jamie?" Lewis called._

"_Yes sir?"_

"_Don't get your hopes up, I am not sure if it will work."_

"_Yes sir." Jamie then exited the director's office, knowing that the director would do everything in his power to get her to California._

_Well, the General had heard about Renegade's lying skills, and it just so happened that Team Bartowski needed a new member, one who could make up any story on the spur of a moment and make it believable. It was an extra bonus that Jamie just happened to actually be Chuck and Ellie's younger sister whom they did not even know existed. It seemed like the perfect solution for both Jamie's and Team Bartowski's problems, so she readily agreed to letting Jamie go to Burbank._

_Jamie spent the next several months preparing for her new assignment. She poured over Team Bartowski's old mission files. She eventually moved to Beverly Hills in an attempt to observe them, although she had been ordered not to make contact with them until given the go ahead. _

_Nothing was working, the bugs she had planted had been intercepted, she couldn't tap their phones, and she really couldn't sit outside their apartment complex with a pair of binoculars for fear of being seen. That is why she installed a GPS tracker on Chuck's Nerd Herder and had "Accidentally" collided with him at that intersection._

Now in the present, Jamie was still smiling to herself. She had just been given the go ahead to make contact with the team. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

_**There you have Chapter 4 part I. **_

_**I really thought that it would be a good idea to give a little bit of Jamie's history, however, there are still many secrets and plot twists ahead.**_

_**I would love to see some guesses as to what some of these twists might be. I have kind of given a couple of hints in this chapter.**_

_**PLEASE REVIEW! The faster you review, the faster you will get the next chapter.**_


	5. Welcome to the Team: Part II

_**Here is Chapter 5 (I am just going to call it chapter 5 instead of Chapter 4 part II). The drama begins again a little in this chapter, and you might find yourself laughing a bit as well.**_

_**I do not own Chuck.**_

**Welcome to the team: Part II**

Jamie drove her red 2009 Dodge Viper down Burbank Avenue. This meeting was going to be fun. She knew that the CIA facility was covered by the Orange-Orange frozen yogurt shop, so she had decided to go there to make contact with Sarah, who had no idea she was coming. The only thing that Sarah knew about any of this was that someone was coming to help protect Chuck's cover.

Jamie pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. She then walked into the yogurt shop. Sarah was sitting at a table going over some papers, and when Jamie walked in, she looked up.

"Oh, hi." She smiled.

Jamie gave a half a wave and a slight grin.

"Sorry," Sarah continued, getting up from her seat. "What can I get you?"

"How about a large 'hummingbird'?"

Sarah recognized her old code name (which Jamie had gotten from one of Sarah's old mission files), but decided not to play along. Obviously this girl was a spy, the question was, which side was she on? "I'm sorry," she smiled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hmmm, I must be in the wrong yogurt shop. Sorry to bother you." She walked over to the door, but before she walked out, she exclaimed, "Hey, there's a sale at the Buy More! Gosh, I better get over there before it closes."

Sarah had never moved so fast in her life, before even she knew what was happening, she had Jamie's arm twisted behind her back and had her pinned face-first against the wall.

"Alright, I'm only gonna ask you nicely once, so you better tell me the truth. What do you want?" She hissed.

"My God, relax, Agent Walker," Jamie said as she broke free of Sarah's grasp. "Obviously you didn't hear that I was coming."

"Who are you?" Sarah asked angrily.

"Agent Jamie Bartowski, CIA and newest member of your team." she flashed her badge, and then continued, "And I happen to be the younger sister of the intersect."

"You have a Code name?" Sarah asked, and then explained, "For verification."

"Renegade"

Sarah typed it into the computer. A series of files and pictures came up, verifying Jamie's identity.

"Well, Agent Bartowski, everything checks out. Welcome to the team."

"Thanks." Jamie replied. "I should let you know that I have already made contact with Chuck."

"The fender bender?" Sarah smiled.

"Well, yes, Jamie replied, "and coffee yesterday. Wait, how did you know?"

"Just a wild guess," Sarah answered out loud, but thought to herself "_Every good CIA agent knows about your unconventional methods,_ _Renegade_."

Sarah and Jamie went down to Castle for a video conference with General Beckman. The screen beeped on.

"Agents Walker and Bartowski, I see that you have met."

Sarah cleared her throat and then replied, "Yes General."

"Jamie, have you met the rest of the team yet?" The general asked.

"Just Chuck, ma'am."

"Well, I'm sure that you are looking forward to meeting the rest of Team Intersect, so if you have no further questions…"

"No questions, General," Sarah and Jamie answered simultaneously.

"Very well, carry on." With that, the screen went blank.

Casey was out of town, but Chuck and Morgan came down to castle to meet Jamie. Morgan was his usual self and was going on and on about not believing that Chuck had a little sister, until Chuck and Sarah finally said at the same time,

"Morgannn."

"Yeah, yeah, right, gosh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't go on about that stuff like that. It's just that I get surprised and then I don't know what to say, and so I just say everything that comes to my mind… Wow! You are really Chuck's sister? Say, are you free on Saturday?"

Chuck and Sarah could tell that Jamie was trying really hard not to laugh. Finally, Chuck came to the rescue. "Morgan, buddy, why don't we get you back to work, huh?" he said as he practically dragged Morgan out of the room.

"Yeah, sure Chuck, of course. Morgan replied. "It was nice meeting you!" He called as Chuck dragged him out the door of Castle.

"That guy's really a spy?" Jamie asked in disbelief.

Sarah just smiled, and then chuckled a little.

"Wow," Jamie laughed, "the CIA has started to be pretty lax on who they recruit. They really must be hard up for operatives."

"It's not like that," Sarah defended. "Morgan is Chuck's best friend who found out about us accidentally. He has since helped us with a few missions, and has proved to be an unlikely compliment to Casey. They have partnered up on several missions, and have done quite well."

"So who is this Casey character?" Jamie asked. "What's he like?"

Sarah sighed, "He's our NSA badass. You'll meet him soon enough. Believe me; you do not want to mess with him."

"Cranky, huh?"

"He's solid Marine," Sarah explained, "get the picture?"

"Oh," Jamie nodded knowingly, "Yeah got it."

"The rest of the day was pretty boring. Jamie stayed in Castle and went over more old mission files, as well as personal files on Chuck in an attempt to get to know everything that she could about him. Sarah walked into the surveillance room just in time to see Casey's Crown Vic pull into the Buy More parking lot. Sarah called him right away.

"Newbie's here, can you be to Castle in five?" She inquired.

"No problem, Walker, should I drag the two morons down with me?"

"Uh, sure." Sarah, replied, "They've already met her, but that way we can have a team meeting."

Casey walked into the Buy More. "Bartowski! Grimes! He hissed. " Report to Castle in five."

Chuck and Morgan went down to Castle immediately.

"Where's Casey?" Sarah asked.

"Oh," Chuck replied, "He'll be down in a minute He was pretty much right behind us."

"Well," Jamie smiled, "I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"Don't be," Chuck and Morgan said smugly and at the same time.

"Why?" Jamie chuckled, "He can't be that bad."

Just then the Castle door opened and Casey walked in. "Sorry I'm late, Walker, I just had to…" He stopped talking when he saw Jamie. His expression turned to one of surprise, or was it terror?

Jamie's smile had quickly faded and her jaw had dropped. She looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"Casey, Jamie, what's goin' on?" Sarah asked.

Neither of them said anything, but Jamie stifled a sob and ran up the stairs and out the door.

Casey watched her go, and after she left, he let out kind of a sigh and a grunt at the same time.

"Would someone please explain to me exactly what just happened?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, Casey," Sarah prodded, "what was that all about?"

The look on Casey's face was hard to describe, but the best way to describe it would be a look of immense sadness or maybe deep hurt. At any rate, it was a new expression on the face of John Casey. "She and I," He began slowly, "have a rather unsavory history together." He was silent for a long moment, and then continued, "One that she will probably never forgive me for."

_**Please, please review! And as always, please be kind.**_

_**No guesses on what the plot twists might be? I am going to stop giving hints in the story if you aren't going to guess (lol JK **____** ). The hints are in there, you just have to look for them. **_


	6. Wounds That Never Healed

_**Congrats to all my reviewers who guessed ! Madje Knotts, supesfan18, and TheWriterPersonWhoWritesStuff all guessed the same thing. Do you think that you are right? Read, and see!**_

_**Did everybody catch the season finale of Chuck? It was pretty awesome! **_

_**I now present to you Chapter 6. Sorry it took so long. This chapter was hands down the hardest one to write so far, so forgive me if it is a little worse than my other chapters.**_

**Wounds That Never Healed  
**

**Previously:**

_Jamie's smile had quickly faded and her jaw had dropped. She looked like she had just seen a ghost._

_"Casey, Jamie, what's goin' on?" Sarah asked._

_Neither of them said anything, but Jamie stifled a sob and ran up the stairs and out the door._

_Casey watched her go, and after she left, he let out kind of a sigh and a grunt at the same time._

_"Would someone please explain to me exactly what just happened?" Chuck asked._

_"Yeah, Casey," Sarah prodded, "what was that all about?"_

_The look on Casey's face was hard to describe, but the best way to describe it would be a look of immense sadness or maybe deep hurt. At any rate, it was a new expression on the face of John Casey. "She and I," He began slowly, "have a rather unsavory history together." He was silent for a long moment, and then continued, "One that she will probably never forgive me for."_

Jamie sat in her car. Her eyes were closed and her head was resting on the steering wheel. She couldn't believe it. She just could not believe it. It was _him._ She knew that she would need to talk to him, she just couldn't face anyone right now.

Back down in Castle, Everyone just stood there staring at Casey.

Chuck finally broke the silence, "So, I gather that you two knew each other.''

Casey was quet for a few more moments, then he said, "Maybe I should go talk to her." With that, he started toward the stairs.

"N-n-n-noooo Casey!" Chuck shot after him and grabbed him by the shoulder. " Not a good idea. That girl just ran out of here to get away from you."

Casey grunted "Yeah s'pose you're right Bartowski." He once again descended the stairs.

Chuck continued, "Now, I don't know what happened between the two of you, but why don't I go and talk to her, you know, brother to sister."

Chuck glanced at Sarah, who, up until this point hadn't really said anything. "Okay, yeah, Chuck, why don't you do that."

Chuck ran out to the Orange Orange parking lot. He saw Jamie sitting in her car. "_Wow that's her car? Yowzer! Sweet ride. (focus Chuck)." _ Putting his awe aside so that he could focus on the problem at hand, he strode toward the car. Upon reaching it, He knocked on the window. Jamie looked up, shrugged, and unlocked the doors.

Chuck got in the car. Both of them were silent for a few minutes. Finally, Jamie broke the ice. "I really didn't want you to see me like this."

Chuck grinned, "You mean, I only get to see you with your tough spy armor on? C'mon Jamie, everybody has a vulnerable side."

"It's just… Chuck, I didn't know that he was a part of the team."

"I'm a little lost Jamie."

"It's him! Chuck! He's the one who turned me into, well… me."

"What, a spy, a superspy, wait, is he your father, cause my mother and Casey…totally weird."

"No, no Chuck, he's not my father,but, yes, he did turn me into a spy."

"Then why are so mad at him?"

"It's a long story Chuck, are you sure you want to hear it?"

"I've got all the time in the world little sis." Chuck grinned.

Meanwhile, down in Castle, Sarah (who had sent Morgan back to the BuyMore) was grilling Casey.

"Just tell me what happened Casey." Sarah pleaded.

Casey sighed. "I had just gotten back from a mission. I got a call from an old buddy of mine, Marcus Reed. You may have heard of him."

Sarah nodded. "Go on," she said.

"He wanted me to come and be the personal trainer to a young agent. Thought that it was going to be a two-week crash course in kung fu. Well, I was wrong. I trained that girl in everything from fighting, to shooting, to sniping. Hell, I even taught her how to drive. Course, she never knew my real name, but, well…"

Sarah's eyes beckoned for him to continue.

"I was really the only person that she had contact with besides Marcus for two years. She trusted me with every fiber of her being, and, well, I let her down."

"How, Casey?"

"Orders. New mission. I was to leave that night, no strings, no goodbyes."

Sarah seemed satisfied, but the look on Casey's face let her know that there was something that he wasn't telling her."

"I knew it was a mistake," He continued. "I would hear about her from time to time, how much of a pain in the ass she was for the CIA, and to know that it was my fault. It was… terrible. I kept thinking, "I'm the reason that she is who she is'."

This was weird. Casey never wore his heart on his sleeve like this.

"What happened?" Sarah asked.

**MEANWHILE…**

Back at the car, Jamie had just told Chuck the same story that Casey had told Sarah, and Chuck was asking the same question "What happened?"

"Chuck, for a long time, I didn't know, and then several sessions of therapy later, I came to the realization that Casey made me. He built me from the ground up. It would be an understatement if I said that I trusted him with my life, Chuck, because it was more than that. I trusted him with _everything._

"It took therapy for you to realize that?''

"No, the therapy made me realize that when Casey abandoned me, my circle of trust wasn't broken, it had evaporated. It was just gone. I just determined because of that, I couldn't trust anyone. I hurt so many people, Chuck, people that I worked with! All because I couldn't trust them. John Casey is the reason that I was codenamed Renegade, and believe me Chuck, it's not a very endearing name!

"He was my best friend Chuck, and he threw me to the wolves."

"Well, I guess that you can hate him all you want. There's no rule stating that you have to get past this."

"Actually, yeah, there is." Jamie corrected.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, orders were for me to live with him at his apartment. Non-romantically, of course, you know, just as roommates. A convenient place to stay while I'm getting to know my brother and sister. But, nonetheless, under the same roof with the first man who ever broke my heart."

Chuck, sighed. Oh, boy. Had the drama really only begun?

_**There you have chapter 6. I apologize for it taking so long to get posted. I had mega writer's block. And sorry if it's not that well written. I re-wrote it like six times, and this one barely satisfies me. Reviews are appreciated, but if you don't have something nice or constructive to say, please don't bother reviewing.**_

_**Next Chapter… Ellie meets Jamie.**_

_**Oh yes, I know, far too little Charah in the story. Don't worry. I've got it covered. Just be patient. :-) **_


	7. An Agenda of Her Own

_**Ok, I know I said that Ellie and Jamie would meet in this chapter, but I just couldn't fit it in. I will try and fit it in within the next two chapters, though. **_

_**I do not own Chuck.**_

**An Agenda of Her Own**

After their talk in the Orange Orange parking lot, Jamie drove Chuck home. They pulled up to Echo Park, and Jamie stopped the car.

"So, when will you be moving in with Casey?" Chuck inquired.

"Oh, sometime after I meet Ellie. She will probably ask me where I live, and I'll tell her that I am currently looking for an apartment. Casey will then offer to let me stay at his place so that I can be close to my family. You know, keep things looking real." Jamie then came to a realization, " Although for any of this to work,Casey and I will have to start talking." She muttered.

"Uh, Jamie, I know John Casey, and so does Ellie. Him offering to let you stay at his apartment does NOT look real, if you know what I mean, plus, you and Casey have yet to make amends. Who knows how long that will take?" Chuck wondered.

Jamie smirked. "I'm the professional liar, Chuck. Just let me handle it. And Casey and I, Well, we'll be fine. Although it's weird calling him John Casey. I guess I always knew that he never told me his real name."

"How did you know?"

"Who names their kid, 'Jonathan Applebee Jones'?" Jamie asked; a hint of incredulity in her voice.

Then, suddenly they both laughed. Not at the name so much as the thought of Bad-ass Casey sporting such a name.

When the laughter subsided, Jamie glanced at Chuck. "You should probably go; don't you have some news to break to Ellie?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess I should probably do that huh?"

"Yeah, Chuck." She said, almost sarcastically.

"Okay, well, I guess you're gonna meet your big sister tomorrow. See ya later Jamie." Chuck said as he got out of the car.

"Goodbye Chuck." Jamie smiled.

Chuck walked into the courtyard towards Ellie's apartment. At the last minute he turned and walked into his apartment instead. He walked into his room to find Sarah sitting on the bed folding laundry."

"How… how did you get home before me?" He stammered. "You were still at the Orange Orange when I left.

Sarah shrugged, "I don't know, Chuck, I guess Jamie drives slow."

Chuck plopped down in the chair and let out a huge sigh.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

Chuck let out another sigh. "I have to tell Ellie about Jamie."

"Then why don't you?"

"I tried."

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning, I walked up to he door and almost knocked." He replied, slowly.

Sarah laughed. "Chicken" she managed to utter between fits of laughter.

"Sarah," Chuck chided, "This is a very serious matter. And I am NOT chicken. I just want it to be the right time to tell her."

"I still think you're scared."

"Okay," Chuck relented, "Maybe I'm a little scared to tell Ellie." Then he sat up straight, "Maybe you should come with me, Sarah, I could really use the support."

"Honey," Sarah giggled, "You're acting like you're carrying the death sentence. Relax. I'm sure everything will be fine. Look at it this way; at least you won't have to lie to her."

Chuck pouted, "Still, can you come with me? Please? He begged, "I need you."

"Nothing about this situation has to do with me, Chuck. This is purely a family matter." Sarah replied.

"Well, you are part of the family," Chuck tried to reason with her.

"Jamie's not my sister, Chuck."

"When will you ever have my back when it comes to stuff like this?" Chuck remembered the night a couple weeks ago when she had sent him to Ellie's, alone, with the Broken-down-car-no-cell-phone story.

"Chuck, if we ever have kids, when we go over and tell Ellie, I'll come with you." Sarah said. "That will be a family matter that concerns all of us."

Okay, chuck seemed satisfied with that answer and was about to leave when he suddenly turned and shot her a look. "Wait a second," he said abruptly, "You want kids?"

Sarah laughed mischievously, "Don't try to change the subject on me, Chuckie; I'm too smart for that. Now, Go. Out." She motioned for him to leave. "And don't come back 'till after you've told Ellie!" She called after he had left the room.

Ellie took the news just like Chuck expected she would. First, she looked shocked, then stunned, then at a complete loss for words, then she finally burst.

"Oh my God, Chuck! We have a sister? When do I get to meet her? What's her name, what's she like, tell me everything. " She exclaimed, throwing her arms around her little brother.

"Her name is Jamie, She's a really nice girl and she's stopping by tomorrow morning."

"Oh my God, I can't wait!" Ellie was ecstatic. "I can't believe that we have a younger sister. Please, tell me more about her."

"Ellie, I just met her…"

Chuck was finally able to escape from the "Ellie Inquisition", back to the safety of his apartment, where he walked into his room and began getting ready for bed. Sarah was already sleeping, or so Chuck thought, but upon hearing him enter the room, she rolled over and opened her eyes. "How did it go?" She asked.

"Fine," Chuck mumbled.

He turned to look at Sarah, who had sat up and was smiling at him.

"What?" He asked.

She smiled wider, "You're so brave," she sighed.

He crawled into bed next to her. "Did you say that mockingly, Miss Walker, or do you really mean that?"

"In context, I said it mockingly, but really, Chuck you are brave. I've seen you save the world on more than one occasion, I should know." There was a seductive tone in her voice.

"Is that why you love me?" Chuck asked, his face starting to close in on hers.

"I'm so in love with you, Chuck Bartowski, it wouldn't matter if you never did another brave thing again, ever." With that, she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

Meanwhile, Jamie was at her hotel room sitting in her bed. She was alone, and now was the perfect time to start working on her own mission under the radar. She had hacked into the NSA's database and typed in the name 'Peter von Hofner'. This was the man who had killed Marcus Reed. She was sure of it. She had to be careful, though, because if the government caught on that she was investigating this case, she would be in big, big trouble.

She had only been able to hack in with minimum clearance without being detected, so when the file came up, all it said was:

_Peter von Hofner_

_All Details: Classified_

Frustrated, she slammed her computer shut. She tried to go to sleep, but this problem she had was haunting her. She had to figure out a way to gain higher clearance. If she went through the CIA database, she had clearance as high as Everest; she also would get arrested for meddling in the investigation, as Director Lewis had made it quite clear that she was to go nowhere near it. But, what could she say? She was Renegade. Disobeying orders was what she did best, and she always got out alive, but this time, it seemed as though she had hit a dead end.

Then she shot straight up, she knew who could help her. She knew who had enough NSA clearance to find out what the president had for a late snack last night. What was even more, he owed her a huge favor. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed his number. She moved so quickly she did not even have time to second guess her decision to drag him into this. She also had forgotten that she had not even said hello to him since she was assigned to the team. Heck, the last thing that she said to him was years ago, the day before he left her.

The other line picked up, "Hello?"

Jamie's breath halted for a minute, she just then had realized what she was doing, but it was too late to turn back now.

"John, it's Jamie. I need your help."

_**So there's chapter 7. Review! And be nice, please! I will try and get a few more chapters up as soon as I can.**_


	8. Learning to Live with Regret

_**Okay, so I know that this chapter is a little shorter, but I thought that the tension between Casey and Jamie had gone on too long. I hope that you enjoy reading it.**_

_**Once again, I do not own Chuck. **_

**Learning to Live with Regret**

Casey had agreed to talk to Jamie about whatever she needed his help with, so fifteen minutes later, she found herself knocking on his door. She tapped her foot nervously. She knew that before he would help her, they were going to need to straighten some things out between them.

He opened the door. Jamie didn't want to look at him. She maintained her icy expression and asked straightly, "can I come in?"

"First," he started, "If your going to come in, you're going to have to talk to me about why you're so upset."

Jamie huffed "Okay, fine, I'll talk."

He stepped aside so she could come through the door.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked, "Maybe some water?"

"Actually, I'd like some scotch." Jamie replied. "I think I'm gonna need it."

Casey looked at her quizzically, "You're not old enough to drink."

"John, I'm twenty-two."

Casey let out one of his patented grunts and made his way toward the kitchen. "The little girl is all grown up."

"Yeah," Jamie scoffed as she sat down on the couch, "No thanks to you."

Casey almost dropped the bottle of scotch. So that really WAS what she was angry about.

He walked back into the living room, without the whiskey. "Jamie…" he began, shaking his head slightly, "I never wanted to leave you."

"Then why did you?" Jamie spat, "You should have said goodbye! I mean, the least that you could have done was send me a postcard."

"I—had my orders." Casey defended himself.

Jamie was quiet for a moment, and then whispered, "That never stopped you before."

"My hands were tied, Jamie!" Casey shot out, a little louder than he expected. "I wanted to explain everything to you. But, I had to rely on the fact that I had just spent the past three years training you for situations like these, and I just had to hope that you would understand, but apparently, you didn't."

"No, John, I didn't. I trusted you, and you betrayed me. My new trainer, his name was Brett Huntington. Do you know how many times he tried to manipulate me? I couldn't trust him, John, and I keep thinking that maybe I should have never trusted you."

"Jamie, you can always…" Casey began.

Suddenly, they heard someone clearing their throat. Turning around, they saw that General Beckman had come on the monitor.

"Colonel Casey, Agent Bartowski, I wasn't aware that you two were already living together." She said.

Casey and Jamie looked at each other, and then back at the General, "We're not, General," Jamie finally spoke up. "Casey was just showing me around the place."

"Is everything alright between the two of you?" Beckman asked, concerned. "I caught the last part of your conversation," she explained.

They were quiet for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say, when Jamie spoke up, again, "Yes, General, everything's fine. It's just; we're two spies with two different opinions."

"Very well," The General said, "I was just checking in. Sorry to disturb you." With that, the screen went blank.

Casey turned to face Jamie, "Look," he began, "I'm sorry. I wish things were different, but they're not. All I can hope is that maybe, someday, we can be friends again."

The corners of Jamie's mouth turned upward a bit, "Friends, huh?" Her smile widened, "Yeah, I think we can work on that."

Casey gave a slight smile back. "Okay," he said, "What is it that you need my help with?"

Jamie gave him a sly grin. "A mission," She whispered, "Under the radar"

Casey gave her a menacing look. "We've been friends again for all of thirty seconds and you're asking me to go on a rouge mission with you?"

"Not rouge," Jamie corrected, "I said 'under the radar'."

"What is it that you want?"

Jamie pulled a file out of her bag. "Information on this man."

Casey looked at the picture in the file, "Peter von Hofner?" he asked, and "Who the hell is he?"

"He's the man who killed Reed." Jamie explained, "And you're gonna help me find him."

"I seem to remember hearing that you got a direct order to stay away from that case." Casey said.

"Oh, you're so naive, John." Jamie chuckled. "I'm not working on finding Reed's killer; I'm working on finding a terrorist."

"Leave it to you to twist a story," Casey grunted.

"I just can't do it without your help, John. Von Hofner is one of the prime suspects in Reed's murder, and if I'm caught investigating him, I could end up in big trouble."

Casey shook his head, "Sorry kid, I can't help. If I did, both of us would get caught. That wouldn't look so good for you."

"I have to find him, Casey."

"We will, in time, don't worry."

Jamie looked up and gave him a small grin, "Okay," she said, "I trust you."

Casey smiled back. It was so nice to hear her say that. "Good," he replied. "Now how about that scotch?"

_**Thanks for reading! Please Review! And as always, be kind with your reviews. **_


	9. Beginning of Beautiful Friendships?

_**Okay, so I started bringing other characters into the plot, with little subplots to go along with them. This story is really about family, not so much romance, but I promise that as the story progresses, there will be lots more Chuck/Sarah interaction.**_

_**This chapter may be a little confusing, but it sets the foundation for some things that happen later in the story. **_

_**I do not own Chuck.**_

**The Beginning of Beautiful… Freindship(s)?**

The next morning, Chuck and Ellie sat impatiently at Chuck's apartment. Chuck could tell that Ellie was trying to remain calm, but it wasn't working. She got up from her seat and started pacing.

"El, would you please sit down?" Chuck implored. "There's nothing to be nervous about."

Ellie started biting her fingernail, which wasn't a good sign. "What if she doesn't like us?'' She asked nervously,

"El, Sit." Chuck commanded.

Ellie acted as if she didn't even hear him, "Oh god, Chuck, what if she hates me?"

Chuck looked utterly confused. His forehead furrowed, "Why would she hate you?''

"Chuck, she's twenty-two! Ellie nearly yelled. "She has a whole life before us."

"Ellie, she's a Bartowski, just like us. She even repairs computers for a living, and she's incredibly smart and beautiful like you. She'll fit right in." Chuck paused for a moment to let his words sink in to Ellie's mind, and then continued, "She'll love us as much as we love her."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Ellie was still a wreck. When Chuck got up to answer the door, she grabbed him by the arms and faced him. "Oh my God, it's her, Chuck, what do I say? How do I act?"

"Ellie, relax," He chuckled, putting his hand on her shoulder, "It's just our little sister out there, not an axe-murderer." He freed himself from her grasp and walked over to the door. "And, about how to act, well… just be you," He added before he swung the door wide open.

The next few minutes were a blur. There was so much laughter and hugging and introducing. Ellie had surprisingly been able to compose herself enough to properly welcome Jamie into the family.

Jamie couldn't believe that this was happening. She had wanted this for so long; it was hard to take it all in. She was so happy. She had a family again, and for the first time in a very long time, she felt at home. Oh, and yes, she loved Ellie. The two of them were amazingly alike in a lot of ways.

"So, Jamie, where are you from?" Ellie asked,

"New Jersey," She replied, "But I grew up for most of my life in New York."

"Really?" Chuck said, "Which part?"

I lived in all five boroughs, but the longest that I ever lived anywhere, was when mom and I lived in the Bronx. I lived there from the time that I was four until I was nine."

"Chuck tells me that you have a degree in computer programming," Ellie changed the subject, "How did you decide on that field?"

Jamie just chuckled. "What can I say? I'm a Bartowski!"

They all laughed, and then Jamie continued, "Seriously, though, Mom told me about Dad, and how much he loved computers. I thought that maybe it could be a way for me to kind of connect with my father, even though I never knew him."

Chuck knew that what she had just said wasn't really true, she was recruited into the CIA because she had a knack for designing electronics, and they paid for her education. However, he was enjoying watching her do what she did best—spin a story out of thin air.

"So um, back to the subject of where you have lived, where do you live now?" Ellie asked, getting up and walking onto the kitchen to get some coffee.

"Well, I'm staying at a hotel, but I'm looking for an apartment." Jamie smiled, "Hopefully I can find one that is close to you two."

"Chuck?" Ellie called from the kitchen.

"Yeah sis."

"Do you know of any open apartments in Echo Park that Jamie could look at?"

"None that she could afford on a Buy More salary." He answered. "Wait, John Casey's looking for a roommate!"

Ellie walked back into the living room with an amused look on her face, "Seriously, Chuck."

"I am serious. He was just asking me the other day if I knew anyone who might want to sign onto his lease with him."

"Chuck, you can't possibly be thinking of our younger sister moving in with a middle aged, ex-marine," Ellie reprimanded, "Plus, I mean there are other options"

"Like what?"

"Well, maybe _Morgan_ could go live with John Casey and Jamie could move in here."

Do you seriously think that Morgan would live through one night in that house?" Chuck defended.

Ellie shrugged. Clearly Chuck had the better argument, but she wasn't going to give up, so she came back at him with, "Jamie probably wouldn't be interested anyway."

While Jamie was thoroughly enjoying listening to the exchange between her brother and sister, and while she thought that it was sweet that Ellie cared so much, and that it was funny that they were talking like she wasn't even there, she figured that it was time to say something.

After listening to their amusing dispute for a few minutes longer, she finally interrupted them, "Actually, I'm very interested. Chuck, do you think that maybe we could go over there now and talk to Mr. Casey about it?"

Chuck gave Ellie an 'I told you so' face, and turned to Jamie, "Yeah, sure. He shrugged.

They got up and left before Ellie could stop them.

**MEANWHILE, AT THE WOODCOMB APARTMENT…**

Devon and Sarah were peering through the window trying to figure out what was going on at Chuck's apartment.

"Explain to me again why we couldn't be there," Devon demanded (for the fiftieth time).

Sarah glared at him, "This is a big deal, Devon. Just give them a few minutes to adjust."

"And the in-laws, meaning us, not being a part of this, that was your idea, am I right?" Devon inquired.

"What, you aren't enjoying the lovely conversation we're having?" Sarah chuckled sarcastically as she sat down at the table. In reality, there was so much awkward silence, it was deafening. It wasn't that Devon and Sarah didn't enjoy each other's company; it was just that Chuck and Ellie were almost always there with them, so it was easy to find things to talk about. But now that it was just the two of them, it was becoming quite clear that Devon and Sarah really didn't know each other that well, and it seemed as though they had nothing in common.

"Well, if you have something to say, I mean, be my guest." Devon replied.

"I didn't say that I had anything to say."

"Okay, don't say anything then," He retorted.

_More awkward silence._

Finally, Sarah thought of something that they would both enjoy conversing about.

"Hey, you like rock climbing, don't you?" She asked.

"Well, yeah," Devon responded, "Rock climbing, sky diving, white water rafting, if it gives me a thrill, I like it. Why do you ask?"

"I took a rock climbing class in Colorado,'' she answered, "When I was sixteen. My dad and I did it together. I actually wanted to be a rock climbing instructor, but it never panned out."

"Why not?"

"Just bad timing, I guess, lots of different things happened in my life, and

'Rock Climbing Instructor' kind of became less of a priority." She explained, her voice making it quite clear that she was not going to give any further explanation.

"Oh," he breathed, understanding.

Sarah racked her brain for some way to carry on the conversation, "So, rock climbing, do you plan on going anytime soon?"

"I don't know, why?"

"For the past few years I've wanted to get back into it," She told him, but thought to herself: _I need a thrill that's not laced with bad guys and bullet holes._

"Hey, if you want to come along on my next excursion, that's fine with me," Devon shrugged, "however, me and the boys were actually going to go rafting as this year's daredevil trip, actually, you might like it. It seems like your kind of thing."

Sarah smiled to herself; she really didn't have any friends, besides Chuck and Ellie. Well, actually, Chuck didn't really count, since he was her boyfriend, and while Ellie was nice to talk with about girl stuff, Sarah's inner tomboy had recently been screaming to be let out of his cage. She just wanted to do some normal, adventurous stuff for a change, and maybe Devon was the ticket to that.

"Rafting…sounds fun." She grinned, "I'm in."

"Awesome," he said, giving her a grin back. Then he looked out the window. "Oh, hey! Chuck and Jamie are coming out! Wait, why are they going to John Casey's?"

Sarah sighed, "No idea." Really, she wasn't even listening to his question, she was too deep in thought:_ White water rafting… definitely awesome! _**Then a certain reality hit her like a bullet to her chest.**_ Oh cripe. How on God's green earth am I going to tell Chuck? _

_Maybe that inner tomboy wasn't screaming so loud after all…_

**SAME TIME; JOHN CASEY'S APARTMENT…**

Casey sat, wondering how the Bartowski meeting was going. He opted not to listen in, even though he really wanted to. Today was his day off work, and he had nothing to do. He had no mission reports to file, all of his guns were too clean already, the Crown Vic was spotless, and all of his dishes were washed. Heck, he didn't even have any laundry to do. This was the worst day off ever.

At the very moment that he decided he couldn't resist the urge any longer to listen in on what was going on at Casa Bartowski, and was about to pick up his earphones, General Beckman came on the monitor.

"Colonel Casey," She began, "May I have a few moments of your time?"

"Of course, General."

"You may have thought it strange that I just called to check in last night.''

"It did strike me as a bit odd, General," Casey replied.

"I actually did have something that I wanted to discuss with you, Colonel. It's about Agent Bartowski."

Casey looked confused.

"The _younger _Agent Bartowski," She corrected. "That is why I opted to call back this morning. I did not want her to hear what I have to say."

"OK," Casey grunted.

The general went on, "You may have heard about Agent Bartowski's methods. How they are rather… well… unconventional."

"Yes, General."

"I am aware, Colonel, that you played a rather large part in her training. I do not, however, blame you for the problems that she has caused." She continued.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Jamie trusts you, John. Your job is to keep her anarchic behavior in check. Do whatever it takes. We cannot have her compromising Operation Bartowski, do I make myself clear?" She asked pointedly.

"Quite clear, General."

"As a heads-up, there is a rather large possibility that she is going to try and find whoever killed her former handler. She has direct orders to keep her hands off that case. If she enlists your help, you are to report her actions to me, immediately. Do not, under any circumstances, assist her. Understood?"

"Understood, General."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Colonel, who's at the door?" Beckman demanded.

"That would be Bartowski and Little Bartowski."

"Very well, Colonel, you are dismissed."

Casey went over and opened the door. "Hey."

"Casey, our cover didn't go as planned exactly, I had to jump the gun a little bit. Chuck covered pretty well though, made up a story about you wanting a roomie." She smiled affectionately at her big brother, "By the way, good job with that Chuck."

Chuck smiled back.

"So I guess this is actually happening- you're moving in with me." Casey said, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, I guess so." Jamie grinned.

_**Thanks for reading. As always, I appreciate feedback. I really hate negative reviews, though, I mean, if you don't like my story, don't read it. Constructive criticism does not count as a negative review. I am always looking for ways to make my story better.**_

_**Special thanks to tw200. Your feedback has been invaluable!**_


	10. Who Can You Trust?

_**Here is Chapter 10. Sorry it took so long to get up; I had terrible writer's block. I had it written, but I hated it, so I re-wrote it. I still don't like it very much, but I didn't know if I could do any better than this, so I decided to publish it. **_

_**I do not own Chuck. **_

**Who Can You Trust?**

Jamie stood in her new room trying to figure out the best place for the tall display cabinet (that she had insisted upon shipping from her apartment in D.C.), when Chuck walked in with yet another in series of boxes.

"God," he groaned, out of breath, "these boxes are heavy. What on earth is in here? Never mind just tell me where you want it."

Jamie turned to face him, but didn't say anything.

"Too late."Chuck dropped the box.

Jamie looked horrified, "Chuck, be careful, that's my gun collection!'' she cried.

"Wait, you brought an entire stash of guns with you from D.C? You know that they sell them out here, too, right?" Chuck asked, jokingly.

"No, Chuck, that's my gun _collection. _What did you think that the big display case was for, anyway?"

Chuck scoffed, "Now it's clear to see who your biggest influence was."

Jamie smiled, "We all have quirks, Chuck. Sure, Casey influenced my love for firearms, but collecting them has become quite an enjoyable pastime for me. It's a weird thing that I enjoy; like Casey with his bonsai or you with that hideous Tron poster."

"Dad gave me that poster."

"I know Chuck, I'm just teasing you."

Chuck smiled at her. He already knew that she was joking.

"Okay," Jamie stood back to look at the display cabinet. What do you think about putting it there?" She pointed toward a wall.

"Bad spot," Was all he offered.

"Thanks a lot," she jabbed. "Where do you suggest I put it? I mean, this room is only so big."

"Oh, I don't know… let's see…the living room perhaps?" He poked sarcastically.

Jamie sighed, "I really didn't want to put it out there for God and everyone else to see."

"Why not?"

"I'm supposed to be the cute, innocent little sister who dreams of ponies and white picket fences. Not the zany little sister who has an unsettling obsession for firearms."

"Hey, it might actually put Ellie's mind to rest about you living here."

Jamie scoffed, "How?"

"Well, for one thing, she'll see that you and Casey have something in common, and for another thing, you have some way to defend yourself from her disturbingly mysterious next door neighbor whom you insist on moving in with."

Jamie nodded her head in reluctant agreement. "Okay," she, smiled, and then after a long pause she finished, "Well, are ya gonna help me move it?"

"Oh, yeah, right, sure, of course!" Chuck babbled.

Jamie laughed. The two of them walked over to the cabinet and began to try and figure out how to pick it up.

"Are you sure that just the two of us can move this thing?" Chuck grunted under the weight of it.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Jamie grunted back.

They finally got out to the living room, where they found a good spot and set the display case down. Out of breath, they then both plopped down on the couch, and high-fived each other.

They sat in silence for a few minutes while trying to catch their breath. Finally Jamie broke the silence.

"I can't believe this is happening."

Chuck glanced at her, slightly confused.

"Everything is falling into place for me," she continued, "I mean, I get to be close to my family, doing two things that I love to do, spying and computer repair, AND I am moving in with John Casey, the man who trained me."

"Yeah, about that, are you and Casey still on the rocks?" Chuck asked.

"No—well, yeah—well, sort of," Jamie answered, "We've forgiven each other and promised to try and move on, but I think that it's going to take a while for the wounds to heal."

"Yeah… I guess."

"So…" Jamie changed the subject, "do you think that the cabinet should go there?" She pointed to the wall that it was currently occupying, and then pointed to another wall. "Or there?"

"Make me lift that thing one more time, and I will end you," Chuck threatened.

Jamie laughed, "Well in that case, how about a cold beer?"

Chuck glanced at his watch, "Ah, I can't. I gotta go to work." He got up from where he was sitting and made his way toward the door.

"Oh, okay, well maybe later then."

"Sorry kid, got plans with my girlfriend."

"Okay,'' she chuckled, "guess I'll see you tomorrow. Take care." She closed the door.

Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Casey. _Meet me in Castle in an hour or so, no hurry._

An hour and twenty minutes later, she was buzzing herself into Castle. She ran down the stairs. "Hey, Casey, what's up?"

"There's a few things that I want to talk to you about."

"Okay," Jamie grinned nervously as she sat down.

"I got a call from the General the other day… about you."

"Really? What'd she say?"

"Only that you cannot be trusted."

"Do you believe her?"

"Sadly, yes."

"Well," Jamie paused, "If it makes any difference, I trust you. Completely."

Casey grunted. If Jamie remembered correctly, it was the number 15 grunt: Cynicism with a side of, well…cynicism.

"Casey, I'm telling the truth. I don't care what's happened in the past. I trust you. Please believe me." She pleaded.

He did not acknowledge her plea. He just said, "The general also ordered me to report you if you try to get involved with the Marcus Reed murder case."

"Would you?"

"Of course I would, which is why you are going to stay away from the case."

"But Casey… I have to do this."

"No you don't Jamie."

"But, they'll never find the man who did it. They can't"

"No, but I can.''

"Wh-what?" Jamie stammered. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I think that you have a right to find the bastard who killed the only father you ever knew. All I need from you is any information that you have on von Hofner."

Jamie looked up and smiled at him. She really wanted to fly out of her seat, throw her arms around him, and tell him that he was the best person ever, but she decided against it. Instead, she whispered, "Thank you Casey."

Just then, Sarah came down the stairs. "Hey guys."

"Hey Sarah." Casey and Jamie replied in unison.

"What's going on?"

"Just a friendly chat, you know, two friends, who haven't seen each other in years." Jamie offered.

"Yeah, just catching up," Casey added as he got up to leave. "It was nice talking to you Jamie; see ya tonight at the apartment."

"See ya Casey." Sarah smiled, and then turned her attention to Jamie. "Hey, Jamie, you seen Chuck? I tried calling him like twenty times and he won't pick up."

"Uh, yeah, he helped me move in to Casey's and then he took off to the Buy More. Said he had to work for a couple of hours and then he had plans with you."

Sarah looked confused, "We didn't have any plans tonight."

"Hey, all I know is what he told me." Jamie shrugged.

"I believe you, Jamie" Sarah sat down at the table and started doing paperwork.

"Sarah" Jamie began

"Mhm"

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"Curious about what?"

"Curious about the fact that you and your boyfriend have plans that you know nothing about." Jamie clarified.

"Seriously, Jamie?" Sarah asked a sarcastic tone in her voice.

"Well, you have to admit, it does sound a little fishy." Jamie remarked.

Sarah sat in thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"Ya know what?"

"What?"

"You are _really_ full of it." Sarah quipped as she got up and left.

"Yeah," Jamie called after the retreating Sarah, "Not the first time someone's said that about me."

Sarah smiled to herself. She wasn't sure, but this girl might be trouble. That wasn't her main concern at the moment though. As she got in her car and started for home; she was wondering a lot of things. What was Chuck up to? Why was he being so secretive? She had no idea, but she was determined to find out.

_**Okay… Little cliffhanger. Can you guess what's going on? **_

_**I just don't like how this chapter turned out. I wish I could do better, please tell me it's good! **_

_**Thanks for reading. Please review. I love getting reviews! And as always… well you know the drill… Be nice with reviews. If you don't like my story, don't read it! **_

_**Next chapter will have CHARAH! I promise, I promise, I PROMISE!**_


	11. Sarah's Suspicions

_**Here is Chapter 11. Gosh, this chapter was tough to write! It is entirely a Chuck/Sarah chapter. I hope that it doesn't disappoint. **_

_**I do not own Chuck.**_

**Sarah's Suspicions**

As she drove home, Sarah's mind was churning, not to mention her stomach which felt like it had a thousand windmills inside it. She knew Jamie was just trying to get on her nerves by what she had said, but it had worked. It had _really_ worked. She was expecting the worst when she got home. Was he working on a secret mission? It had to be that, she concluded. Or was it another woman? _Oh please God, don't let it be that!_ The very thought brought her to tears.

She pulled into the Echo park parking lot, and sat in her car for a few minutes composing herself. As she approached the apartment door, dreading what she would find, much to her surprise, Morgan stepped out.

"Oh hey Sarah, he mumbled as he walked past her. She turned just in time to see him halt and whirl around, his eyes as big as saucers. "You're not supposed to be home yet."

So it was another woman! Sarah's biggest fear had just been confirmed. "Morgan," she said threateningly as she walked over to him, grabbed him by his shoulders and sat him down on the edge of the fountain, "You are going to tell me _exactly _what Chuck doing and you are going to do it NOW."

"Hey, calm down Sarah, it's nothing," He assured her.

"Morgan, what's he up to?" Sarah prodded.

"Why don't you just go in and see for yourself." He retorted, "Although could you just let me call Chuck and tell him that you're coming in?"

Sarah crossed her arms, "Yeah, sure do whatever you need to do."

_Morgan dialed the phone_

_Chuck answered "Hey buddy, what's up?"_

"_Uh, Chuck we have a situation, your lady's out here, and she's making her way to the door."_

"_What? She wasn't supposed to be home for another hour!" Chuck paused, then Continued, "Morgan, you CANNOT let her in here. I need like, fifteen to thirty more minutes."_

Morgan looked up just in time to see Sarah grabbing the door handle_. "Uh, yeah, I think that we're a little too late for that."_

Sarah walked into the house, and saw Chuck standing in the kitchen of all places, talking on the phone and mixing a salad_._ Wait, mixing a _salad_?

"Hey honey," He grinned sheepishly, as he hung up his phone.

"Chuck, what are you doing?"

"You weren't supposed to be home for another hour. I was making dinner."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh thank God!"

"Wow, you must be really hungry. I wanted this to be a nice romantic dinner, but I guess you can have a breadstick if you need to."

"No, Chuck, I'm not hungry. I mean, I am hungry just not… Never mind. It's just, I heard from someone that you and I had plans tonight and I had no idea and I thought… I thought…"

"What did you think?" Chuck asked, walking over to her and putting his hands on her shoulders, much like she had just done to Morgan, only way more loving.

Sarah just stared at him; she had gotten so lost in his eyes that she had forgotten the question.

"Sarah, what did you think?" Chuck repeated.

Sarah broke out of her reverie and smiled, "You know what? Never mind."

Chuck smiled back. Okay, Miss Walker, you must be tired. Why don't you," He paused as he put his arm around her and walked her down the hall, "take a rest and come out in a half an hour, okay?"

"Okay," She said as he closed the door.

Sarah went and lay down on the bed. She was relieved, but at the same time, a little embarrassed, and she was a little miffed at Jamie for getting her so upset over nothing.

Truth be told, Sarah was looking forward to getting to know Jamie. It was going to be interesting working with the spy known as Renegade. However, something seemed off to her. She knew that Jamie and Casey were close, but the fact that they had abruptly stopped talking when she had entered the room was just a little unsettling. She really had not been filled in with the full details of Jamie's transfer here, so it was kind of hard to put the pieces together. But, Sarah Walker was one of the best spies in the CIA, and she was determined to find out what exactly was going on with her NSA partner and her boyfriend's sister, because whatever it was, they didn't want her hearing about it, so she concluded that it had to be illegal.

Music was playing out in the living area, and Chuck was singing along. Sarah smiled. She loved it when Chuck sang. It just did something special for her heart.

The thirty minutes passed by quickly. Sarah got up and walked out into the living area. _Wow_. Chuck had the table set, the food smelled delicious, and there were candles and gardenias everywhere.

"Wow, Chuck,'' She wrinkled her face in surprise, "this is really something! What's it all for?"

He walked over to a chair and pulled it out for her. She sat down and then he answered, "For you dum-dum." He kissed the back of her neck gently before going around to the other side of the table and seating himself.

Sarah was still in shock as she began to eat her spaghetti with meatballs. "This is amazing, Chuck."

"Why thank you." He opted not to tell her that Morgan had made the sauce.

"Why are you doing all this?" Sarah asked.

"Well, I have been so caught up in this whole Jamie situation and I realized that I have been making less and less time for you. So," Chuck smiled, "Tonight is all yours. No interruptions, I promise. I love you Sarah Walker, and no attention-craving little sister is ever gonna change that."

"That's really sweet," Sarah said softly, "Thank you." She leaned across the table and kissed him.

They finished their supper, but whatever else happened that night was a blur. Sarah woke up the next morning, wrapped in Chuck's arms. She glanced at the clock, it read 8:56. She sighed. She needed to get to work by 9:30, but she did not want to wake Chuck. He looked so peaceful. Just then she felt him stirring beside her. She turned to face him. "Morning, Chuck."

"Morning," Chuck flashed a toothy grin before kissing her. Then he looked at the clock, "I hate to ruin the moment, but don't you have to go to work?"

"Yeah," Sarah groaned as she sat up, but then promptly lay back down, "I don't want to get up," She fake-pouted. "Last night was so wonderful; I don't want it to be over."

"Well, I don't think you have a choice, Miss Walker." You need to get up before a line forms at the door of the double-O." Chuck kissed her forehead and then softly removed the covers off of her and gently pulled her up by her arms. "Rise and shine, baby." He laughed.

Sarah was still fake pouting, but she got up anyway. "You're so mean," She teased Chuck, throwing her pillow at him.

He chuckled, "Why don't you go take a shower, and I'll make breakfast.

"Pancakes?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, One order of piping hot pancakes coming up!" Chuck left to go to the kitchen.

After her shower, Sarah walked into the kitchen. There was a plate of pancakes sitting on the table for her, just as Chuck had promised, complete with butter and warm maple syrup. _He's so sweet,_ Sarah thought to herself. However, there was something that she needed to discuss with him.

"Chuck?" She began.

"Mhm." He answered from the kitchen.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." He walked over to the table and sat down with his bowl of cereal.

"What do you think about Jamie?"

Chuck looked at her quizzically. "Well, um, I don't know, I mean, she's my sister, but I barely know her. I guess I don't understand what you're getting at."

Sarah leaned across the table so that she was closer to him and whispered, "I think that she's into something shady, Chuck."

"Sarah, that's impossible. How do you know that? "

"Chuck, she may be a good liar, but nobody's perfect. I went down to Castle yesterday and I heard her and Casey talking. As soon as I walked in, they got all uncomfortable and clammed up. And then Jamie manipulated me into leaving by convincing me that you were doing something fishy because you told her that we had plans and I knew nothing about them."

"Wait… Go back. You think Casey's involved?" Chuck asked seriously.

Sarah sighed, "I hope not, but we can't be sure. Even though I don't know what's going on, It wouldn't surprise me if Jamie was using Casey to get some sort of information."

"Why would she do that?"

Sarah scoffed, "She probably thinks that Casey owes her a favor. I mean, from what they told us about their relationship, Jamie probably feels more than a little betrayed by him. Casey is probably going to try and make it up to her."

"By illegally accessing government information?"

"I don't know, Chuck. That's why we need to watch them closely. I need you to keep an eye on Casey at all times when you're at work. Can you do that?"

Chuck squirmed, "Sarah I don't know… Can't we just go to the general with this?"

"Chuck, we need to do this. For Casey. We can't let Jamie bring him down with her. Going to the general could mean the end of both of their careers. I know Jamie is your sister, and that this is hard for you, but she may just be the bad guy here and we need to be careful."

Chuck smiled, "Okay, I'll do it. Now, you need to get to work."

Sarah looked at her watch, "Oh God I'm late!" She jumped up out of her seat and kissed Chuck, "Thank you for the pancakes," she said as she ran out the door.

"Bye honey," Chuck said as the door slammed behind her. He had a lot to think about. What if Jamie really was the bad guy in this equation? He hoped that she wasn't, but like Sarah had said, they could never be too sure.

Just then, he had an idea. If he could get Jamie and Casey together, he could possibly figure out if they were working on something suspicious together, and he knew just how to do that. He smiled and muttered to himself, "Chuck Bartowski you are a genius!" He then picked up his phone and dialed a number. The person on other line picked up:

_Hello?_

_Hey Jamie it's Chuck. Say, what do you think about transferring to the Burbank Buy More?_

_**So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review. **_


	12. Spying on the Spy

_**Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted. I had a terrible disease known as writer's block. I finally was able to scribble something down that half-pleased me, so here it is. I may rewrite this chapter, as I really think that it could be better. If you have any suggestions, please review or PM me.**_

_**Sadly, I still do not own Chuck. **_

**Spying on the Spy**

Jamie walked into the Burbank Buy More. She saw Chuck behind the Nerd Herd service desk, flipping through a stack of papers and talking on the phone. Obviously, this was not a good time to walk over and say hi. Just then, she spotted Morgan.

"Morgan!" She called, running over to him.

"Oh, hey Jamie, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here to talk to someone about transferring from the Beverly Hills branch to here." She replied.

"Uh, yeah, okay. You'll need to talk to Big Mike about that."

"I thought Chuck said that you would handle the hiring process." Jamie was confused.

"I usually do, but transfers are another story. Big Mike likes to interview you guys himself. It's like… the only work he does around here."

Jamie laughed, "Okay, show me the way."

Morgan directed her to Big Mike's office. The door was open, so Jamie poked her head in and knocked on the door frame. "Excuse me, Mr. Big Mike, sir?"

Big Mike didn't even look up, "What?" He said tartly.

Jamie was a little taken back by the apparent coldness of this guy, "Um, I'm Jamie Bartowski, and I'm here about the Nerd Herd opening," She paused when she saw him look up, "Uh, my big brother said that there was an opening."

"Your brother Chuck Bartowski?"

"Yes sir."

"Sit." Jamie was surprised at how sharply he talked. From the things she had heard about him, he sounded like Santa Claus. She scurried to sit down.

"I didn't know that Bartowski had a little sister." It was then that Big Mike noticed her Nerd Herd uniform. He motioned at it with his eyes, "You must be pretty optimistic about getting' this job."

"Oh, no, sir," Jamie chuckled, "I already work at the Beverly Hills branch. I want to transfer here." She explained.

"Why?" Big Mike asked seriously.

"Why, sir? Well, um, for one thing, it's closer to my house, and for another thing, I'll get to work with my brother. But most of all," She paused and leaned in closer, "I can't stand the snobs that I work for."

Big Mike leaned back and grinned, "I like you, Little Bartowski." He paused, and then continued, "You're hired. Start Wednesday"

Jamie was a little surprised that he didn't even look at references or anything, "Really sir? Thank you!" Just then she remembered that she was going to go clean out Marcus Reed's apartment next week, so she added, " Just one thing, I'm going to need like, two weeks before I start…"

Big Mike looked at her quizzically.

"A close friend died back east," She explained. "I need to go and sort his stuff out."

"Bartowski going with ya?"

"I, uh, I guess so," she stammered. She really didn't know what to say, but it gave her a good idea, so she went with it.

"Well, if you two can get a couple of those other idiots to cover for you, I got no problem with that."

Jamie walked out of the office, Chuck was off the phone, but he was still flipping through papers. He didn't even notice when she walked up, and she startled him with, "Having a bad day?"

He looked up and smiled, "Hey, sis, how are ya?"

"Fine and you?"

"An order got screwed up and I can't find the paperwork anywhere." He gritted his teeth, but then his expression softened again, "You here to interview about that job?"

"Yeah, I just got done with it, He hired me." Jamie was nearly bubbling.

"Hey, that's fantastic! When, do you start?" Chuck was so glad that step one of his plan was a go; no, wait, step two, Step one was getting her to agree to take the job.

"Two weeks." When she saw the confused look on Chuck's face, she explained, "I have some stuff that I need to do in D.C. Hey, why don't you and Ellie come with me? It'll be kind of like a 'get to know you weekend'."

"Hey, yeah, sure, that sounds great," Chuck grinned. "I think Ellie will go for it too."

"Okay then," She smiled, "I'll see ya later!" Jamie walked briskly toward the exit.

"Hey Jamie!" Chuck ran after her.

Jamie turned around, "Yeah, Chuck?"

"Uh, this stuff you have to do in D.C., it's not spy-related, is it?" He whispered.

Jamie smiled, and then chuckled, "No, Chuck, its personal."

"Oh, ok. I just wasn't sure, since you talked about bringing Ellie along."

"Yeah, Chuck, I'm not that dumb." Jamie scoffed.

Forty-eight hours later, the Bartowski trio was landing in Washington D.C. Chuck was remembering what Sarah told him the night before:

"_Remember, Chuck," Sarah warned, "She could be dangerous. You need to keep your eyes open for any suspicious behavior from her, got it?"_

"_Sarah, please," Chuck scoffed, "I mean, come on, give me a little credit here! I think that I can handle my own sister." _

"_Just be careful, okay?" _

"_Okay," He whispered as he kissed her forehead._

He was jerked back into the present when he heard Ellie inquire, "So where will we be staying?"

"At my apartment." Jamie answered.

"You still have an apartment here?" Chuck asked.

"Uh, yeah, I do."

They took a cab to Jamie's apartment. They walked in, and Jamie turned the lights on, "Well, here we are."

**THAT NIGHT…**

Jamie lay in her bed, waiting. When she was sure that her brother and sister were asleep, she quietly snuck out of bed and went out the apartment door.

Chuck, however, was not asleep, as Jamie had presumed; he was actually lying awake waiting for this very thing. He had installed a GPS in her watch so that he could track her, and track her he did.

When he was sure that the coast was clear, he too quietly snuck out of the apartment, following her signal. He went down two floors and took a right. There was Jamie, stealthily making her way down the hallway. She stopped in front of a door, and opened up a secret panel on the wall. After a retinal scan, she opened the door, and walked through it. Chuck ran down the hall and caught the door right before it closed. Jamie heard him and whirled around, pointing a gun in his face. Chuck slowly put his hands up

"Chuck? What are you doing here?" Jamie asked in surprise.

"What am _I _doing here? The question is, What are _you _doing here? You said this trip was personal!" He hissed.

Jamie lowered her weapon, "It is personal. This is Marcus Reed's apartment. Everything he had, he left to me.'' Jamie motioned for him to come in further, "Look around if you want to."

Chuck walked over to the bookshelf, he pulled a three ring binder off the shelf and paged through it. It was full of notes on raising livestock and planting gardens, "Wow, your handler was really in to agriculture."

"True," Jamie replied, "but that book's in code. There's a message embedded in those notes." Chuck looked up confused, so she explained, "He left them to me in his spy will, that's how I know."

"So have you cracked the code?" Chuck inquired.

Jamie had been walking around the apartment, apparently looking for something. "No," She replied, "I have no idea where to begin." She touched the wall right next to a picture, and a computerized voice filled the room, startling both of them:

_Identity confirmed. Agent Jamie Elizabeth Coleman-Bartowski. _

Jamie backed away as the picture slid away, revealing a high-tech key pad. Chuck set the binder down and walked over. "What is that?" He breathed. "Jamie, what's going on?"

Jamie ignored him, "Dammit," she cursed under her breath, "I need a pass code."

Chuck decided to help her, "Well, start with something easy," He suggested

Jamie looked at him incredulously, "Like what?"

"You know, pet's name, wife's name, something like that."

Jamie shook her head, "No, Marcus would have been more cryptic than that, but he would have made it something that I could easily figure out"

"Maybe a codename?" Chuck offered.

"Maybe…" Jamie typed RENEGADE onto the keypad. Once again, the computer voice came on:

_Access denied._

"Okay, Jamie think, think!" Jamie clutched her head in both of her hands. Suddenly she had it; She looked up at Chuck, who was was standing at the keypad, studying it.

"Chuck, type in the word INTREPID." She said.

"What, why?"

"Just do it, Chuck."

He typed the word, but once again, the access was denied.

"Okay, okay, that's fine," Jamie seemed optimistic, "I think that I'm onto something. Uh, try this phrase, P-E-V-O-H-O-F," She spelled it out.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?''

"Chuck, please just do it."

Once again, the access was denied. Jamie tried every possible letter and number combination that it could be. Half an hour later, they were both sitting on the floor with their backs to the wall.

"You know," Chuck said, "it might make this easier if you told me what's going on. I mean, I might hold the key to that door right here in my head."

"Keys," Jamie muttered. Suddenly her eyes got huge and she shot up, "That's it!'' She exclaimed. She walked over to the keypad and typed in XIIKEYS. The computer voice came on again:

_Access Granted._

The wall opened up, and a vault door was revealed. Jamie looked up at Chuck and smiled, "Shall we?"

Chuck gave her a crooked grin back, "After you."

As he descended the stairs into the vault, his conversation with Sarah was once again echoing in his mind:

_She could be dangerous… Keep your eyes open for suspicious activity._

Suspicious activity… yes, this definitely fit into that category. Chuck still had no idea what was going on, but he was pretty sure that there was a little bit of going behind the team's back on this mission. Sure, she had claimed this as a personal trip, but Chuck was beginning to recognize that Jamie wasn't just a good liar; she was also good at covering her ass when she went behind her team's back, and boy could she twist a story! But what was it for? Why was she being so secretive about it? Chuck had no idea, but he was bound and determined to find out and stop her, not only for her sake, but for Casey's. Whatever happened, he was NOT going to let her drag one of his team down with her.

_**Review! I need some comments on this chapter as I think that it needs a rewrite. I want your constructive criticism. **_

_**I will say that I do introduce some concepts in this chapter that will be further explained later on, such as INTREPID and XIIKEYS. Right now, you will have to be as clueless as Chuck about those names, unless you're really smart and have already figured out what they stand for! **_


	13. Bond, Bartowski's, Bond

_**Here's Chapter 13! I probably should have made this a part of chapter 12, but, I didn't write it until today, but, anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Still don't own Chuck! **_

**Bond, Bartowski's, Bond**

Chuck followed Jamie down the stairs. At the bottom was a vault about the size of a small bedroom. When Chuck entered the room, Jamie had already pulled a box off the shelf and was flipping through the stack of papers that it contained.

"What is that?" Chuck asked.

"I don't know, Chuck; that's what I'm trying to figure out." Just then she pulled a manila envelope out of the box. She opened it and pulled out a stack of plastic sheets, about the size of a standard piece of printing paper. They had holes cut in them, like they were supposed to fit over something. She squinted and studied them carefully. "Chuck, go get that binder that you were looking at."

Chuck ran up the stairs and grabbed the binder. When he got back to the vault, he handed it to her. She place one of the plastic sheets over a page. "Nope," She said, shaking her head, "this isn't it." She looked up. "I thought that this binder held codes or something within his agriculture notes, but I was wrong."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Chuck asked.

Jamie took a deep breath, and then sighed, she looked at him, her eyes pleading, and she was still shaking her head, "Does the phrase, 'Twelve Keys' mean anything to you?"

Now it was Chuck's turn to shake his head, "Nope."

Jamie bit her lip in apparent contemplation, and then spoke, "Okay, um, just, start spitballing, Chuck, what could it possibly mean?"

Chuck still didn't have a clue what was going on, but he started throwing out ideas, "Twelve keys to, like maybe a combination lock or something?"

Jamie looked skeptical, "No, I don't think that's it."

"Maybe its twelve steps, like a twelve-step program. Or maybe something like, 'Twelve keys to success'."

Jamie chuckled, "No Chuck, that's not it." Then an idea came to her, "Chuck, there is a book up there that has our answers. I know you're super smart, so could you go up there and figure it out for me, please?"

"I really don't know what I'm looking for," he argued. "You still haven't told me what you're doing, exactly."

Jamie shrugged, "Like I said, you're super smart. I'm sure you'll find what I'm looking for."

Chuck realized that there was no getting around this one, so he trudged back up the stairs. He stood in front of the bookshelf and stared at it. They were mostly books on farming and such, which Chuck thought was completely strange for a sophisticated CIA agent from Washington D.C. "Okay, Chuck, which of these things doesn't belong?" He muttered to himself. The problem was that none of these books belonged.

He scanned the rows. Suddenly his eyes lighted on something. Right in the middle of all of the agriculture books, was a book on the history of Classical Music. "Now that's something that I would believe that a CIA agent would spend his time reading," he mumbled, picking it up and flipping through the pages. Suddenly he realized that there were several books on music, strategically placed throughout the many other reading materials. Then it came to him, it wasn't what _didn't_ belong as much as it was what _did_. He traced his finger down the spine of each music book, counting them. There were twelve. As quickly as he could he gathered the books up and rushed down the stairs.

Jamie looked up when she heard Chuck drop the books on the counter. "What the frak…" She trailed off.

"Twelve keys!" He exclaimed, out of breath, "There are twelve keys in a chromatic scale."

Jamie walked over to the stack of books. Her forehead furrowed as she looked through them, "You know, you might be on to something." She gave him a small smile, "Good work, Chuck."

Chuck looked at his watch… He couldn't believe the time. It was 6:45 am.

"Holy…"

"What?"

"It's almost 7 o'clock!"

Jamie flew out of her seat and grabbed Chuck's hand, "Come on," she said as she started up the stairs. She closed the vault door, put the picture back where it was supposed to be, once again grabbed Chuck's hand and rushed out the door. Instead of turning toward the elevator, she started running toward the exit."

"Wait, where are we going?"

"To pick up doughnuts. We need a believable explanation for why we were gone."

Twenty minutes later, they walked through the apartment door, talking and laughing. Ellie was sitting on the couch in her bathrobe. Jamie and Chuck immediately shut up when they saw the icy glare in her eyes. "Where have you been?"

Chuck lamely held up the bakery box. "Doughnut?"

"It took you over an hour to get doughnuts? I've been up since five-thirty."

Chuck looked at Jamie, who chuckled nervously, "Neither Chuck nor I could sleep, so around five we decided to take a walk around the apartment building, then around six we decided to go get some doughnuts, and you would not believe the traffic!" She glanced at Chuck, "Right Chuck?"

Chuck nodded his head, "Yeah, especially for that early in the morning."

"So then," Jamie continued, "The doughnut shop that I used to go to when I lived here had closed down, so Chuck and I had to find another place."

Ellie seemed satisfied with that answer, as she said nothing and walked over to the bakery box, grabbed a doughnut and took a bite. Chuck and Jamie breathed a sigh of relief.

"So what are we gonna do today?" Ellie asked her mouth full.

"Well," Jamie replied, "I was thinking that we could drive around, you know, see the sights."

"Sounds good to me." Ellie said as she popped the last of her doughnut into her mouth, "What do you think, Chuck?"

Chuck was sitting on the couch and had been staring into space, contemplating the events of last night, "Huh? What?"

"What do you think about what Jamie just said?"

"Uh yeah sure, whatever's fine, but nothing with custard? I don't feel like this is a custard morning." He answered absentmindedly.

Jamie and Ellie looked at each other like Chuck was crazy.

"What? What did I do?'' Chuck asked defensively when he noticed their suspicious stares.

"It's what you didn't do, Chuck, and that's pay attention," Ellie chided as she handed him a doughnut.

Chuck was entirely clueless as to what was going on, and his face showed it. His sisters couldn't help but laugh at the bewildered look on his face.

Chuck threw his hands up, "I don't get what's so funny."

Finally, their laughter subsided and they were able to explain everything to him. He found very little humor in the situation, and ended up playfully throwing his half-eaten jelly-filled Bismarck at Jamie's face. Her initial expression was one of shock, until Ellie threw her coffee at Chuck (thankfully, the couch was leather!). Chuck then quickly jumped over the back of the couch and toward the kitchen. He grabbed a handful of flour out of a canister and threw it at Jamie and Ellie. It turned into a full-fledged food fight, with Jamie and Ellie against Chuck. Doughnuts, Tomatoes, splashes of coffee, and many other food items graced the walls and floor of Jamie's apartment. Finally, Jamie made her way to the refrigerator, and pulled out an egg. Chuck froze when he turned his head and saw it.

Jamie gave him a cold smile, "I haven't been here in two months, Chuck, so this egg is probably rotten. If I were you, I'd give up now."

Chuck turned around fully and put his hands up, "Alright," he panted, "I give up."

"Good," Jamie nodded, walking over to Ellie and giving her a high-five and handing her the egg. Ellie turned toward Chuck, who was standing about five feet away. Now it was her turn to smile coldly, "Aw, what the hell!" She threw the egg at him full-force, hitting him square in the middle of his chest. He looked at his shirt, then back up at her, completely mortified.

"Please tell me you did not just do that." He said through gritted teeth.

"Oh you better believe I did!"

"You are so going to pay!" He screeched, rushing toward her. He tackled her down on the floor and began tickling her. Ellie screamed and squirmed. Jamie could have used use her kung fu skills to stop him, but opted not to in front of Ellie. After all, Chuck wasn't going to kill her. She just stood by and laughed so hard that she got side stitches.

Finally Ellie had had enough, "Okay, stop! Please, I'm sorry!" She pleaded.

Chuck decided to have a little mercy, and let her get up, but then he promptly walked over to the refigerator, seized the bottle of ketchup, and walked back over to her.

"Oh you wouldn't…" Jamie started to say, seeing the horrified look on Ellie's face

"Oh I would," He laughed with a false evil tone in his voice. He then took the cap off and squirted ketchup all over Ellie's head.

Ellie stood there, her mouth hanging open in shock as the ketchup dripped down her face. Then closed her mouth and twisted it into a crooked smile, "You win."

"Yessss!" Chuck threw his arms up in victory.

Just then, Chuck's phone started ringing, It was Sarah. he answered it,

"_Hey honey"_

"_Hi Chuck," Sarah said, "How's it going?"_

"_Pretty good. Ya know, we're just enjoying some good, clean bonding." Chuck opted not to tell her about the food fight, although she might have thought that it was hilarious, he figured that it should be kept a Bartowski secret._

"_Well good." Sarah replied, " I just wanted to call and say good morning. I miss you."_

"_I miss you too. I'll be home soon."_

"_I hope so. I should tell you that Morgan made me supper last night."_

"_Really?'' Chuck responded._

"_Yeah, and he promised me breakfast this morning AND give me a ride to work." Sarah laughed._

"_What happened to your car?" Chuck inquired._

"_Nothing. He is just taking this role of 'taking care of best friend's girlfriend while best friend is out of town' quite seriously." She answred, still laughing._

"_I guess so!" Chuck chuckled. "Hey, sweetie, I'd love to talk more, but I'm kind of in the middle of something. "I'll call you later, okay?"_

"_Okay," Sarah replied, "I love you."_

"_Love you too, Cant wait to see you. Bye"_

"_Bye, Chuck."_

Chuck, Ellie and Jamie spent most of the rest of the day cleaning up after themselves. When they finished, they realized that sightseeing that day was pretty much out of the question, so they decided to just talk and then maybe watch a movie.

As the three of them sat on the couch that night watching the movie, Jamie was smiling to herself. She was so happy, she wanted to scream and jump up and down. She had a family again, and she hoped to God that her mission to find Reed's killer would not screw that up. On the other hand, she hoped that her family would not screw up her chance to find Reed's killer.

Chuck, too was deep in thought, What was Jamie up to? What was Intrepid, and what was the significance of the twelve keys? He needed to find out, and there seemed to be nothing in the intersect about it. He was starting to get worried, Jamie was up to something; something that could lead to her downfall as a spy, and he needed to stop it, but he didn't know how. Sarah would know, but this was a delicate situation, and bringing her into it may ruin the trust that Jamie had developed for him. No, he needed to figure this one out for himself.

_**You know the drill… REVIEW!**_


	14. Giving Up

_**Here's Chapter 14. I really don't have much to say about it, but I hope you enjoy it. **_

_**Unfortunately, I still do not own Chuck. **_

**Giving Up**

That night, Jamie was once again in the vault, or "bat cave" as Chuck had dubbed it. She was pouring through the music books when her cell phone rang. It was a text from Chuck.

_I'm at the door. Plz let me in. :) _

Jamie huffed a little and went up to open the door. Chuck walked in. "Thought maybe you could use my help, even if I have no idea what you're doing."

"Yeah, thanks." She led the way down to the vault, still offering no explanation as to what she was doing. They sat down at the counter and started paging through the books when Chuck broke the silence.

"Can I ask you a question, Jamie?"

"Sure."

"You said that this was your former handler's apartment, right?"

"Mhm" Jamie continued to read, almost as if she wasn't listening.

"And he was murdered…" Chuck stated, but it was meant as a question.

"Jamie looked up, "Where are you going with this Chuck?"

"Well, I mean one would think that they would have sealed off his belongings and look for evidence."

Jamie chuckled, "they did, Chuck."

"Wha-what?" Chuck stammered.

"Apparently, all of Reed's research was at his house over in Alexandria. This place, they never even thought to look here." She paused for a moment, and then muttered "Although even if they wanted to, they never could have gotten in."

"What do you mean?''

"The security system is foolproof."

"How do you know?"

Jamie gave him a sly smile, "Because I designed it."

"Oh," Chuck breathed, as he went back to his reading.

A little while later, Chuck once again broke the silence, "Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure," Jamie mumbled.

"What's Intrepid?"

Jamie stopped reading, but she didn't look at him, she just stared straight ahead, not answering him.

"Jamie?"

"I don't know, Chuck." She finally answered, "I mean, I think I know what it is, but I…," She paused, "I just don't know."

"What do you think it is?"

"Ithink_, _and I stress the word _think, _that it's an internal strike; similar to Fulcrum or even the Ring, which I know you're familiar with those." She answered.

"And why are you so interested in stopping them? I mean, it's not your duty." Chuck prodded.

"Yeah it is, Chuck."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the only one who can stop them." She answered simply. "Please, Chuck," she begged, "I really don't want to answer any more questions right now."

"But I need to know…" He began to protest, but Jamie cut him off.

"Not now, Chuck."

"Can I just ask one more question?"

Jamie huffed, "Fine. What?"

"Does Casey know?"

"Know what?"

"About your little side mission." Chuck clarified.

"No," She said sharply, "And he's not going to find out about it. Not from you, and not from me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Uhhh, Uh-huh, sure."

Jamie glared at him, in a flash she had leapt up from her seat and had twisted Chuck's arm behind his back. "I said, do I make myself clear?" She hissed.

"Yeah! Yeah! Perfectly clear! Now let go of me before I flash and end up hurting you!"

Jamie released him and went back to her seat. "Are we even getting anywhere?" She finally asked.

"Well, it would really help if you were completely honest and told me what exactly what it is you're looking for."

"The littler you know the better." Was all she said in response.

The hours passed by. They found absolutely nothing, and Chuck could tell that Jamie was as disappointed as she was exhausted. It was about 3 am, and they decided to go and get some sleep.

"So what are you going to do if you don't figure this mystery out before we need to head back to LA?" Chuck asked as he and Jamie walked back to Jamie's apartment.

Jamie shrugged, "Well, then, I guess it's over. I mean, I can't bring all that stuff back to California with me."

"And Intrepid goes unstopped?"

"Intrepid goes unstopped."

Chuck looked at her in surprise, "So you're just going to give up?"

Jamie shrugged again, "Do I really have a choice?"

That was the end of their conversation as they were now back at their apartment. They snuck in and went to bed.

Chuck couldn't sleep. His mind was churning a million miles a minute. If Intrepid was an internal strike, the intersect had to have _something_ on it, so why wasn't he flashing on anything? It did not make any sense.

Another thing was that he was very conflicted. He knew that he needed to tell Sarah, but Jamie was his sister, and he didn't want to betray her. It was a sticky situation, and he wished that he had never gotten involved.

Unlike Chuck, who couldn't sleep, Jamie was out like a light. She had killed two birds with one stone; Chuck had believed her when she told him that she was going to give up, and that meant that she was free to continue her investigation even after they got back to LA. She would just leave some of her clothes here and pack the books in her suitcase—problem solved.

The next morning, Ellie was once again the first one up. She went to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee, and then she went to make sure that her brother and sister were actually there. She smiled as she watched her little sister sleep. She had only known Jamie for a few weeks, but she already felt like she had known the girl her whole life. She loved her so much and was glad that Jamie had tracked them down.

Ellie walked around Jamie's room, looking at the various pictures that covered the walls. Her eyes lighted on a small frame on the dresser. In it was a picture of Jamie and a young man. She picked it up and turned it over to see if there was a name or date or anything.

"Snoop around much?"

Ellie jumped and turned around. Jamie had woken up and was smiling wryly at her big sister.

"Jamie, I'm so sorry…"

Jamie sat up and put her feet over the edge of the bed. She put her hand up in order to stop Ellie from talking. "Hey, it's fine."

She walked over to her dresser and took the picture from Ellie.

"Who is he?" The older sister inquired.

"My boyfriend, Tripp Rayner."

"Oh… " Ellie once again looked at the picture, "He's… cute. Where does he live?"

Jamie didn't answer right away, she walked over to her cell phone and pushed a button, "He's uh… somewhere in Europe right now. For work."

"Really? What does he do?"

"He's a communications consultant." Jamie answered. "His job takes him all over the world."

"Wow that must be pretty amazing." Ellie speculated.

Jamie smiled sadly, "Yeah, for him."

"Do you miss him?"

"We actually, kind of… broke up."

Ellie nodded her head in understanding. She set the picture back in its place and took Jamie in a hug. "You know, if you ever want to talk, I'm here for you, okay?"

Jamie reciprocated her sister's embrace, "Thanks." She whispered.

Just then Ellie saw another picture. "Hey, is that Mom?" She asked, walking over so that she could get a closer look.

Jamie smiled, "Yeah, that was right before she… um, died." Then her face turned dark, "I don't really want to talk about it."

Elle smiled comfortingly, "I know how you feel. It's okay."

There was so much Jamie wanted to tell Ellie, but she couldn't. It was at that moment that she realized that this was going to be a very tough assignment.

Ellie left the room and Jamie once again looked at her phone. She sat down on her bed and started typing a text.

Her heart was beating loudly in her chest as she pushed the send button.

The day was fun; the Bartowski trio went sightseeing, and they all had an amazing time. They saw all the monuments and memorials, had a picnic, and later went to a jazz concert. By the end of the day, they were exhausted. Chuck had noticed throughout the day that Jamie didn't seem like her normal cocky self. She looked a little down. Even though he had attributed it to the fact that she was discouraged about her Intrepid investigation, at one point he asked if she was okay.

"Yeah, Chuck, I'm fine." She had answered, half-smiling.

Jamie may have been a good liar, but she couldn't hide her emotions, and Chuck could tell that she was anything but fine, so that night, while Jamie and Ellie were in the kitchen, Chuck snuck into Jamie's room. He didn't know what he was looking for, but there had to be something. Suddenly, he spied her cell phone; he picked it up and saw her last text:

_I'm in DC. Was really hoping 2 see u. I miss u a ton and want 2 talk 2 u about u know what. I don't trust them. Need your advice, now. _

It was after he read the text that he flashed. It wasn't much, but the text was in code. All it broke down to read was simply one word:

_Chessman_

_**Okay, so another mystery before the first one is solved. I know that it may be confusing, but it will be explained. Don't worry.**_

_**Please Review!**_


	15. The Battle Begins

_**Here's Chapter 15. I hope you enjoy it. It is one of the chapters that I have been working on the longest, so I hope it's at least half good.**_

_**News flash! I still don't own Chuck!**_

**The Battle Begins**

_Knock, knock_

Jamie opened the apartment door. The man standing there looked cautiously into her apartment, "Anyone else here?"

"My brother and sister are gone for about an hour. But is that the way to greet your girlfriend, Agent Rayner?" She answered.

"Ex-girlfriend," He corrected, "we broke up remember?" He walked into the apartment, looked around briefly, and then spun around to face her, "Okay Agent Coleman, let's cut to the chase. You and I both know why you're here."

Jamie bit her lip nervously. "It's not what you think, Tripp. I'm not just here to avenge Reed's murder. Intrepid has to be stopped before they catch up with me. With my family." Her eyes were pleading, "Please, Tripp, you have to help me."

"Why should I help you?''

"Because besides Marc Reed, you're the only person who has any substantial information on them."

"Okay, and even if I helped you, what's in it for me?" He asked.

"You'll be able to get back at your old partner." She answered.

"Meaning you?"

"We were never partners, Tripp. I'm talking about the partner that left us for dead in Moscow after she went rogue."

Tripp just looked at her, "I missed you," he said quietly.

Jamie swallowed, "Tripp, we're not going to play this game," she warned.

"Then what game are we gonna play?" He stepped toward her and was about to kiss her when Chuck and Ellie walked in. Chuck saw the young man, and flashed immediately.

_Tripp Rayner AKA Chessman_

_Affiliations: CIA_

_Whereabouts: Unknown_

_Partners with Marsha McCauley AKA Checkmate on several missions. Romantically linked to Jamie Coleman, AKA Renegade. Presumed to have gone rogue with Agent McCauley, but not confirmed._

Jamie saw Chuck flash, and she was horrified. _Think fast Jamie, think fast! _She grabbed Tripp by the back of his shoulders and pushed him out the door, saying, "I'm sorry Mr. Salesman, but I already have a vacuum cleaner. Sorry, Bye." She closed the door behind him.

Ellie chuckled, "Who was that?"

Jamie smiled and shook her head as she turned and walked to her room.

Chuck and Ellie watched her go. "That was weird." Ellie noted.

"Yeah." Chuck said softly as he walked towards Jamie's bedroom door. He knocked.

"What?"

"It's Chuck, can I come in?"

"Not now, Chuck. I really don't want to explain myself."

"Okay, but if you ever do want to explain, I'm all ears," Chuck said as he turned and walked away.

Just then, Jamie heard a tap on her window. She slowly reached for the gun that was beneath her pillow, but when she turned, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She ran to the window and opened it.

"Tripp!" She hissed, "What in THE HELL are you doing?" She poked her head out the window and looked down. "What possessed you to climb all the way up here?"

He climbed into her room, out of breath. "You want help?" He panted, "I want you back."

"Can't we make a different deal?" She pleaded.

"Those are my terms, take it or leave it."

Jamie bit her lip in thought, "Okay, okay, we'll play it your way. But I'm going to make you an offer."

"I'm listening."

"You help me catch Intrepid, and I'll come back to you."

"Seriously?" He asked disbelievingly, "That's your offer?"

Jamie shrugged "Take it or leave it."

"Okay, deal."

"Good," Jamie said as they shook hands, "So, what's the scoop?"

"Well, I actually have something for you that I think you'll like." He pulled out a manila envelope. "Something fishy is going on in this warehouse back in Los Angeles. I persuaded General Beckman to let you and your team investigate it."

"Really?" Jamie took the envelope from Tripp.

"Yeah, she should be contacting you any time now to tell you to get your ass back to LA."

Jamie looked through the contents of the envelope, "Does this have anything to do with Intrepid?" She asked,

"I have been trying to figure that out, and I think so. Read my reports."

"Okay. Thank you, Tripp."

"You're welcome. So tell me about your recent discovery."

She went on to tell him about the vault, the plastic sheets and the twelve music books.

When she finished, Tripp sat in thought for a moment, "Hmm, which would make sense. Peter Von Hofner often used cultural items such as pieces of art to send messages. It wouldn't surprise me if he hid the twelve keys in different pieces of music."

"But what are the twelve keys?" Jamie asked.

"No one knew except Reed. That's what got him killed. They could be people, places, pass codes, no one knows. But I will tell you that we need them to stop Intrepid, and if I uncover anything, I'll let you know." Tripp grinned at her.

"Thank you, Tripp. You don't know what this means to me."

"Don't forget our deal." Was all He said as he turned to go out the window.

"I won't," She smiled as she watched him descend to the ground.

The mission details were clear. Bug the warehouse and wait. How very unexciting. "Thanks a lot, Tripp," She mumbled after receiving her orders.

The next day, they flew home. Devon and Sarah met them at the airport. There were hugs and 'welcome homes' Chuck and Sarah kissed each other for an awkwardly long amount of time, and didn't stop until Jamie yelled, "Earth to Walkertowski!"

Team Bartowski got together at Castle for a full briefing on the mission. It was decided that it was a three-man op, and Chuck, Casey and Jamie were going to go, and that Sarah and Morgan would be at Castle tapped in to their feeds in case anything went south.

The three spies sat in the van and tapped into the security feeds. Nothing really seemed to be going on, until suddenly…

"Casey, it's Von Hofner!"

"What?" Casey looked at the screen in disbelief.

"Who?" Chuck asked, but Casey and Jamie both ignored him.

"It's him! Look!" She was getting more excited by the minute, "Casey, What are we gonna do?"

"We sit and wait…" Casey began to say, but Jamie cut him off.

"Chuck, do we have a sniper rifle?"

"Uh yeah, right here." He pointed to a case not twelve inches from where he was sitting.

"Hmm, M-107 .50 cal Long Range Sniper Rifle, not bad," she murmured as she picked it up and prepared to exit the van.

"Jamie," Casey growled, "what do you think you're doing?"

"Only what I have to, John." She exited the van and began to run to the top of the building across the alleyway from the warehouse in question.

"Jamie, Wait!" Casey ran after her.

When Jamie reached the roof, she turned around. "John, just let me do this. Please."

"You can't do it!" He insisted.

"You and I both know that I can." She retorted. "You trained me, John! I can do this!" She turned and started setting up the rifle.

"Jamie, if you take that shot, and you miss, you're a sitting duck."

"Whohoa!" Jamie chortled. "I see how it is! You're jealous!"

"What? I am not!"

"Why do you insist on doing it instead of me?"

He took a step closer to her, "Why do you insist on being so stubborn?"

Suddenly, without warning, she reached up and kissed him. It was a soft, slightly lingering kiss, and it took Casey completely by surprise.

After about 5 seconds, she backed away. "Just let me take the shot, Casey."

Casey was still caught off guard. He took a step backward and then nodded his head. "Okay, Jamie, you win. If a shot needs to be taken, it's yours."

"Thank you." She nodded straightly.

She set up the rifle and put on the headphones. "Okay, Chuck, I've got ears on the target, now you have to tell me when he is getting ready to exit the building."

"I'm on it," Chuck assured her.

Jamie turned the volume up on the headphones so that she could listen in on the conversation:

"_But sir, it's too risky."_

"_Never mind the risk; we have to move that key before the CIA figures out that we have it."_

"_But sir…"_

"_Do you seriously want the CIA to find out the identity of every Intrepid agent that we have?"_

"_No sir."_

"_Then find a way to keep that drive safe."_

Jamie sat up. She looked petrified.

"Jamie, what is it?" Casey asked.

"INTREPID" was all she said.

"What? Jamie who the hell is Intrepid?"

Jamie was silent for a moment. "Screw this," she said, taking the headphones off and getting up, "I'm going in." She took off her belt and ran for the cable that stretched between the two buildings.

"Jamie, No!" Casey called after her as she ran.

"Sorry, Casey, I have to do this."

"You are going to have a lot of explaining to do when you get back, young lady!" He yelled angrily as he watched her zip line across.

"Goddamn Renegade," He growled.

Jamie snuck into the compound.

"Chuck," She whispered into her watch.

"Yeah."

"Do you still have a visual?"

"Sure do, wait, why are you whispering?"

Just then, Casey opened the door to the van, "Goddamn imbecile zip lined down there and broke in to the compound."

"SHE DID WHAT! Wait," He looked at the computer screen, "There she is! Jamie! What do you think you're doing?"

"Only what I have to do," Was all she offered as a response. "Chuck, you have to be my eyes here. You need to tell me when a threat is approaching." She snuck cautiously down the hallway. She was about to enter a place where two hallways intersected when Chucks voice came through her earwig.

"Okay, two bad guys on your six."

Jamie turned around just as they were about to attack her. Chuck and Casey watched in shock as she knocked both of them out. She stood up, brushing the hair out of her eyes, and shot both of them in the head.

"Why'd ya do that?" Chuck screeched.

"What?"

"You just shot them in cold blood!"

"Yep.'' She replied, slightly out of breath.

"Casey, why'd she do that?"

"Precautionary measure. She doesn't want 'em waking up and trailing her."

Chuck glared at Casey like he was crazy, and then turned his head back to the monitor.

"Okay, you got something goin' on up in that next intersection."

"Which direction?"

You got two guys coming up at your Three o'clock, and two at your nine O'clock, but it looks like you'll have to deal with three before nine."

"Thanks, Chuck." She whispered.

"Hey, just doing' my job."

She took care of the three o'clock guys, which wasn't easy; she had to bring out her best kung fu skills. She defeated them just in time to pull out her gun and shoot the nine o' clock guys.

"Wow, she's good." He paused to watch her turn and shoot the two guys that she had just knocked unconscious, "and ruthless," he finished.

"That's my girl." Casey grunted, but Chuck could hear the pride in his voice.

"Okay, Chuck, there should be a vault somewhere along this wall, please tell me you flashed on something."

"Who-What? No, I didn't flash." He insisted.

"Oh for goodness sake Chuck!" Jamie whispered, obviously frustrated.

"What?" He retorted. "It's not like I can turn it on at will!"

"Chuck, I'm at the back wall. Please tell me you know where the safe is."

"Wait… how am I supposed to…?" And then he flashed, "Okay, go about thirty feet to your right."

She ran down, "Okay, I'm here."

"Alright, there should be a hidden sensor in the wall, similar to the one that was in that apartment wall. You're gonna need to find it."

"Okay," She started running her hand up and down, "Chuck, I'm not finding it!"

"Just be patient, Jamie, I know it's there."

Suddenly, all of the surveillance screens went blank. "Jamie!" Chuck yelled, "Jamie, are you there?"

Nothing

Inside the warehouse, Jamie heard a thick German accented voice behind her.

"Agent Coleman."

She whirled around to face her biggest fear, "Von Hofner," she said shakily.

"Agent Jamie Coleman," He said again, "I've been looking for you."

Jamie froze. She was out of ammunition, and she was too far away from him and the two men that escorted him to fight, so she did something unthinkable—she ran. As she was running, she took off her watch. She hid behind a table for a minute and popped the back off, twisted a couple of wires around and put it back on, "Chuck! Casey! I can't hear you, but I need help." There was a lot of static, and they barely heard her.

Jamie was running for dear life. Someone fired a bullet at her, hitting her in the leg just as she was running out the door. He fired twice more, both times hitting her in the same leg. She quickly fell to the ground and played dead.

"Chuck, Casey, "I'm at the North Enterance and I could really use some help." She whispered through her watch. The pain was excruciating. She had been shot before, but never three times in one leg. It was almost too much for her to handle.

Chuck and Casey drove around the building as fast as they could. Casey shot the man who was about to finish off Jamie, and then ran over to her, and began assesing her condition. She was losing a lot of blood, but she managed to open her eyes for a split second, and grin painfully at him, "I'm sorry, Casey, He got away."

Casey stopped what he was doing for a moment, and half-smiled at her, "It's okay, it's not your fault."

Jamie's eyes closed. She just couldn't keep them open anymore. But as she drifted off, she couldn't help but ask one thing of Casey and her brother.

"_Please don't let me die." _She begged.

It wasn't long before total blackness engulfed her.

_**The End.**_

_**Just Kidding! The story is just starting to get good! **_

_**Please Review!**_


	16. Jamie versus Life, Death, and Sarah

_**Surprise! Chapter 16! I didn't think I could do it, but here it is! It just came to me this morning. I am so happy! **_

_**I still don't own Chuck, I probably never will.**_

**Jamie vs. Life, Death, & Sarah**

Chuck tried to keep Jamie semi-conscious as Casey rushed them to the hospital. They ran into the emergency room, and were met by Devon.

"Bro, what happened?" He asked as they watched Jamie being wheeled away by a medical team.

Just then, Ellie came running down the hallway, "Chuck!" She cried, running to him, "what happened?"

Chuck looked down at her, "Uh- I got a call from Jamie, saying she was in trouble, when we found her she had been shot three times in the leg."

"Who did it?" Ellie asked worriedly.

"Uh… Um…" Chuck faltered.

Casey stepped in, "We don't know, Ellie, but the police have been alerted and they're looking for suspects as we speak."

Tears began running down Ellie's face, "Chuck, if anything happens to her…" She broke down crying and Chuck took her in his arms.

"Hey, she's gonna be fine." He whispered comfortingly, even though he wasn't sure of that himself.

The doors flew open, and Sarah and Morgan cam running in, "Hey, we just heard, what's going on? How is she?" Sarah asked as she hugged Chuck and Ellie.

"She's in surgery," Chuck answered. "The doctors should keep us posted though."

The time crept by slowly. Morgan and Sarah fell asleep, and Ellie and Devon had doctor stuff to attend to. This left Chuck and Casey.

They were both sitting there silent when Chuck heard Casey mumble, "She kissed me."

Chuck looked up in surprise, "What?"

"She kissed me," He repeated.

"Why?"

"She wanted to take the shot, so she kissed me to catch me off guard. It's my fault, Chuck. I should have stood my ground."

"Casey, whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. Besides, did it even occur to you that she might have kissed you because she's in love with you? I mean, you have to admit, she definitely has a little crush on you."

"Sure, Bartowski, but she's in love with Tripp."

"Who?''

"You know, Tripp Rayner, her boyfriend; well ex-boyfriend, it's on-again off-again, but she's in love with him. She talks about him sometimes," he smiled slightly, "and she looks just like you when you talk about Walker."

"I didn't know she had a boyfriend." Chuck said through gritted teeth, _Tripp Rayner, huh? That's NOT a good sign._

It was then that Ellie came back, "Hey."

"Hey," Chuck replied.

"Hear anything yet?" She asked.

"No, but it should be soon."

Finally, after what seemed like ten years, a doctor came out. "I'm Dr. Brooks. Which one of you is Bartowski?" He asked.

Chuck and Ellie stood up, "I am," They answered simultaneously.

"How's Jamie, is she okay?" Chuck asked.

"She's fine." The doctor replied with a smile, "All three of the bullet wounds were treated. There were a few complications, but she'll be okay. She's going to be pretty sore for a while, but with time and therapy I expect that she'll make a full recovery.''

"Oh thank God!" Ellie sobbed.

"Is she awake? Can we see her?" Chuck asked anxiously.

"Yeah, but only you two, since you're family." The doctor answered, "She's in room 308."

"Thanks, doc," Chuck sighed in relief.

They went and told the others what was going on before going to see Jamie. As they walked into her room, Chuck was afraid Ellie was going to lose it.

"Chuck, she looks so… helpless." Ellie sobbed softly. Just then, her pager started beeping. She took it out of her pocket. "I'm sorry Chuck, I have to go. I'm still on duty," she apologized.

"It's okay, I'll make sure I'm here when she wakes up." He assured her.

Ellie left, and Chuck turned around to find Jamie looking at him with her eyes half open.

"Hey," Chuck went and knelt by her bed.

"Can I ask you a question, Chuck?" She said groggily.

"Uhhh, Sure." He replied, surprised at how fast she had started talking after she woke up, but then he realized that she had probably woken up a while ago and had just been pretending to be asleep.

"Why in the hell did you bring such a big gun on our stakeout?"

"Seriously? You almost died and that's the first thing that pops into your head when you wake up?"

Jamie chuckled, "Hey, I was just asking." She paused and huffed, "How did my surgery go?"

"Really well." Chuck replied, "The doctors said…"

"I mean come on Chuck!" Jamie interrupted, "an M-107 .50 caliber Long Range Sniper Rifle! That bullet could almost cut you in half!"

Chuck glared at his sister, "Do you want to know about your surgery or not?"

X-x-x-x-x-x

The next day, Chuck was standing at the Nerd Herd desk helping some poor soul with a broken Cell phone. He had just finished when Big Mike came walking up.

"Bartowski!" He barked.

Chuck looked up, a little startled, "Yes, Big Mike?"

"When's that sister of yours coming to work?"

"I don't know sir. Her injury might have her out of commission for a while."

"Well tell her to get better; I can't have my star employee off the job forever."

Chuck wrinkled his forehead, "Star employee…She hasn't even started working yet."

"I meant you Bartowski! Between your installs and your family vacation, and now… trips to the hospital, you're never around. Tell that girl to get workin' here as soon as she can walk!"

"Yes sir, I will… I will do that," Chuck replied as Big Mike walked away.

X-x-x-x-x-x

It was the day after her surgery that she was sitting in her hospital bed, typing on her computer, when Sarah walked in, a somber expression on her face."

"Sarah, Hey!" Jamie greeted, "I guess I didn't really expect you to come."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sarah spat.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your little scheme at the warehouse."

"Look, Sarah, I know what it looked like, but that guy killed Marcus Reed."

"So? That's not your mission here."

"Sarah, I did what I thought I had to do. I admit, I acted impulsively, but YOU have to admit, you'd do the same for someone you care about." Jamie tried to reason.

"That's where you're mistaken. You not only nearly got yourself killed; you put Chuck's and Casey's lives at major risk as well. I would NEVER put the lives of the people that I love in danger just to get closure, ever."

"It's not just about closure, Sarah," Jamie contradicted.

She moved her face closer to Jamie's, "I am your superior, Agent Coleman, and your mission here is to assist ME with protecting Chuck. Deviate from that and I will send you back to Langley so fast it will make your head spin. Got it?" She hissed.

Sarah stood back up and walked out of the room, leaving a very somber Jamie.

Chuck walked in just as Sarah walked out. She didn't even acknowledge him. Chuck looked at Jamie and motioned towards his departing girlfriend, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just had a little altercation with the boss."

"Ooh, Beckman, huh?" Chuck cringed.

"No, Sarah. She was pretty pissed at me. I don't think she likes me much."

Chuck set her ice cream in front of her and then sat down, "Yeah, she can be like that," he sighed. "Oh, by the way, Big Mike wants you to get better so that I can start work again."

Jamie was confused, "Come again?"

"Well, with all this stuff that has been going on, I've been putting in minimal hours, and as the Nerd Herd supervisor, that's kind a frowned upon." He chuckled a little.

"Chuck?"

"Yeah, Jamie?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For… this," she made a motion with her hands, "I came here on a mission and I ruined my family's' lives in the process. I put your life in danger and I made my boss, who also happens to be your girlfriend, hate me. I manipulated you and Casey, and I'm sorry. I'm just…sorry." She faltered.

"Hey… hey, it's okay," Chuck said comfortingly as he hugged her, "It's all okay. We'll be fine."

After a few seconds, she backed away from his hug, "I still want to stop Intrepid, though."

"Well," Chuck smiled, "If there's one thing that this team is good at, it's stopping bad guys, so you're in luck."

Jamie smiled at him and hugged him again, _must be the morphine that's making me this open and honest, _she thought to herself, but all she said out loud was simply, "Thank you."

X-x-x-x-x-x

The days in the hospital passed slowly for Jamie. Chuck came at least once a day to visit her, and whenever Ellie or Devon weren't busy with doctor stuff, they would keep her company. Chuck had brought her laptop so that she wouldn't be bored, AND he brought her ice cream every day. Morgan made sure that she had the latest issue of her favorite comic books (yes, Jamie loved comic books), and then would proceed to tell her everything that happened in them, until she finally told him to 'shut up and let her read the damn things herself.'

A few days later, Jamie was sitting in her hospital bed, playing some computer game, when Casey walked in. She looked up, "Hey John," She smiled.

He grunted as he sat down in the chair by her bed.

"Isn't that grunt the #30, the one that means, 'hello, what the "f" were you thinking when you ran into that building'?" Jamie asked mockingly. "Well, for the record, and mark this one on your calendar Casey, because it may be the only time you'll hear this… pause for dramatic effect, I wasn't thinking."

Casey didn't acknowledge her comment, "How's the leg?"

"Fine, they got me on some pretty heavy pain meds. I tried to tell them that I was fine with something a little less mind-altering, but I think that Ellie kind of insisted that I be pain-free, which means a diet of gross hospital food with a side of morphine. So anyway, do ya know when I'm supposed to get out of here?"

Casey grunted again, a smirk on his face, "Today; I'm actually here to take you home."

When they arrived back at Echo Park, Casey helped Jamie out of the car and into the house. He helped her over to the couch, "Owww!" Jamie winced as she sat.

"Suck it up. Here, take this," He handed her two painkillers and a glass of water.

"Recuperating under the care of John Casey," She mumbled as she popped the pills into her mouth, "Hey that's catchy. Maybe I should write a book." She smiled at the thought, "I'll bet it would be a best-seller."

Casey grunted as he walked toward the kitchen, and Jamie could tell that it was a # 19—humor. She chuckled to herself.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Chuck sat on his bed, researching the name Tripp Rayner. The 26-year-old agent had quite a lot going for him. He was a war hero, not to mention a world-class-spy. To top it all off, He had James Bond-esque features. _This guy's worse than Cole Barker! _Chuck thought to himself, _But I can see what Jamie sees in him, I mean, the guy's every superspy rolled into one._

Sarah walked into the room, obviously angry, and started getting ready for bed. Chuck quickly shut his laptop, "Hey honey, what's wrong?"

Sarah pulled her pajama shirt over her head and turned towards him, "It's official, Chuck. I hate your sister."

"I'm supposing you mean Jamie."

"Yes! Yes, I mean Jamie, I mean that girl may be a good liar and all that, but if she isn't the worst spy… and so emotionally compromised! Chuck, she's a liability to the team."

"She's also my sister," Chuck defended, "and it would mean a lot to me if you could just try and get along with her."

"I know, Chuck," Sarah said, "But I'm not letting you go on any more missions with her and without me."

"Hey, who made you the boss?"

"Well somebody has to run this team, and it sure as hell isn't going to be Jamie, or Casey for that matter while Jamie's got herself wrapped around his little finger."

"What about me?" Chuck asked.

"Because…Well, because you're Chuck."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Chuck, please, just come off it, please." Sarah begged.

"Fine" He huffed, "But try and play nice with my sister, huh?"

Sarah shook her head,"Not happening."

"Seriously Sarah? I mean you love me right?"

"Of course, Chuck, but I don't see how that fits in…"

"Well, if you love me, than that would mean that you should at least try and love the things I love."

"Alright, Chuck, now you're just being ridiculous. You never asked me if I loved your video games or your job or that… repulsive Tron poster, you asked me if I loved YOU."

"What? I'm the one who's being ridiculous? Sarah, come on, you barely know my sister. In fact, I'll bet you two are a lot alike."

"Yeah, fat chance," Sarah muttered.

In the other room, Morgan lay in his bed, listening to Chuck and Sarah bicker. He felt like the little kid whose parents fought after lights out. He sighed. Either they were going to argue all night, or they were going to argue until they got all hot and bothered, and… well you know the rest. Either way, it was going to be a long night for the little bearded man.

_**So I kind of have a lot of ideas thrown into this one chapter, but I hope it isn't that bad. Please review. **_

_**o-o-o-o-o-o**_

_**If I was to bring back any character, who would you like to see? (E.g. Cole Barker; Carina; Jack Burton; etc.) One thing though, don't even THINK about asking me to bring Shaw back, because I won't do it.**_

_**If you have a preference, please PM me with your answers. **__**DO **__**NOT**____**WRITE THEM IN THE REVIEW COLUMN! **_

_**I have already gotten several answers and I will say that there is one Character that is getting more votes than any other, but I will not say who.**_


	17. Can't hide the Truth Forever

_**Here's Chapter 17! I know that it's really short, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! I promise the next chapter will be longer.**_

**Can't Hide from the Truth Forever**

Chuck was troubled; he was very, very troubled. As he lay in bed that night, he was so distressed he nearly broke out in a cold sweat. His whole body was churning with agitation at everything that had gone down in the last couple of weeks. His sister was carrying out illegitimate operations, which could result in the whole team getting shut down, AND Casey could be assisting her. Sarah was going crazy. She was being completely unreasonable, and, while the make-up sex after their heated argument was amazing, he was still concerned about her; not as her boyfriend, but as her professional partner.

It was because of this that he made a very difficult decision. Early the next morning, he found himself in Castle facing the computer screen—

"General, thank you for taking the time to meet with me…"

**Four hours later…**

The whole team (minus Morgan) sat at the table in the conference room. Chuck stood at the head of the table, his back facing the monitors.

"Thank you all for coming," He said soberly, "General Beckman would like to have a word with us." He clicked the screen on. General Beckman was sitting in her usual position at her desk.

"Good afternoon, Agents. First of all, Chuck, I would like to applaud you for your actions this morning, you certainly are looking out for the welfare of your team; which brings me to my next order of business." She let out a breath before continuing, "Actually, Chuck, why don't you take it from here?"

"Yes, General," he turned around to face the other four, "Agent Coleman," he began, a look of extreme seriousness on his face, "Did you or did you not deliberately disobey direct orders and illegally investigate the murder of your former handler Marcus Reed?"

"Chuck," She said quietly.

"Did you or did you not deliberately disobey direct orders and illegally investigate the murder of your former handler Marcus Reed?" He repeated.

"Chuck, don't do this!" She pleaded.

"Answer me Jamie!" He snapped.

"Yes, I did," she admitted.

"Thank you, now on to my next question, did you or did you not attempt to manipulate both myself and Colonel Casey into assisting you?"

"Umm," Jamie faltered, "Chuck, I-I…" she faltered.

"Yes or No, Agent Coleman," They heard the General say,

"Yes." She said, "I attempted to manipulate both of them."

"Did you or did you not once again disobey orders by infiltrating a known Intrepid base, getting injured and unnecessarily endangering the lives of two of your fellow agents?"

"Yes, I did," Jamie's voice was barely above a whisper.

Chuck turned to face the monitor, "Have you heard enough General?"

The General leaned forward, "Yes, Chuck, I have. Thank you." She then looked at Jamie, "Agent Coleman, the CIA has come to the conclusion that at this time, you are unfit to be a part of Team Bartowski."

"Am I being reassigned?" Jamie asked.

"Jamie," The general continued, "The CIA has put up with you for three years. You were a good agent despite your methods. However, we have come to realize that you are too much of a liability. You put yourself and others at unnecessary risk. We aren't going to tolerate it any longer. The problem is, we know that you won't change. That is why, Agent Coleman, you are hereby suspended from active duty. Agent Bartowski, please relieve Agent Coleman of her weapon."

Chuck pulled his tranquilizer gun from his waistband and pointed at her, "Slowly," he cautioned as she removed her gun from her shoulder holster and set it on the table.

"Chuck you can't be doing this," Jamie grinned a little in disbelief.

"Jamie, I'm _only doing what I have to do."_ He used her own words against her. He then took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing, "Thank you very much for your service, Jamie, you are now dismissed. Agent Walker, please escort Miss Bartowski off Government Property." Chuck instructed, "Then please come back down."

Sarah looked at Chuck like he had gone nuts. This was so unlike him. Was it possible that someone had kidnapped _her _Chuck and replaced him with some heartless replica? What happened to him? She silently escorted Jamie out of the Orange Orange and then returned to Castle.

"Welcome back, Agent Walker," The general greeted.

"Thank you, General," Sarah cleared her throat.

"My next order of business concerns you. Agent Bartowski gave his professional opinion today and informed me that you have been a bit, well… short-tempered."

"That may be the case, General." Sarah replied.

"He also brought to my attention that you were… what was the words he used?"

"Going Bananas," Chuck filled in.

"Ah, yes, going _bananas_ trying to run the team." The general continued, "Which is why I have come to a decision. Agent Bartowski has shown remarkable progress as an agent over these past few months. He is professional, and has grown to remain fairly even-keeled on missions. It is because of these reasons that I am temporarily putting him in charge of Team Bartowski."

"General, you can't be serious," Casey interjected.

"Yeah, General… Wait, are you serious?" Sarah asked.

"I am serious, Agents, and he will remain in that position for as long as I see fit," With that, General Beckman ended the conference.

When the screen went blank, Sarah scowled angrily at Chuck before getting out of her seat and storming up the stairs.

"Humph," Casey grunted, smirking at Chuck, "Someone's gonna be sleeping on the couch tonight."

"How was I supposed to know that the General was gonna put me in Charge?" Chuck defended.

"You didn't know?" Casey asked in surprise.

"Seriously, Casey, I'm just as shocked as you!"

Casey turned and walked up the stairs, grumbling to himself, "Bartowski at the helm, Humph. I think I'll just go kill myself before he does it for me."

"Hey! I heard that, and, Ouch!" Chuck called after him; he then slumped into the nearest chair. He wasn't really one to cry, but he sure felt like shedding a tear or two in this moment, however he resisted the urge. Two of the most important people in his life were seething mad at him, and he knew that he was going to have to make it up to them somehow. Chuck had gone up against assassins twice his size, but something told him that making up with Jamie and Sarah was going to be the toughest and scariest thing that he would ever do. At the same time, he did not regret what he had done. Extreme situations require extreme measures, and after those measures are taken, there is usually a mess that needs to be cleaned up, or in his case, a borderline disaster. However, Chuck was prepared to clean up any mess that his actions made, even if Sarah and Jamie killed him in the process. He then stood up and started walking up the stairs, chuckling at the thought that came into his head—

_Well, at least Jamie and Sarah have something in common now… They both hate me._

_**Well, there you have it, short and simple, but I hope that you enjoyed it. Please review.**_

_**Question… How would you like it if at the ends of my chapters, I occasionally put previews for the next chapter? Review or PM and let me know!**_


	18. Back to the Basics

_**Chapter 18! I hope you enjoy. BTW, In case any of you were wondering, Agent Coleman is Jamie. I guess I didn't make that incredibly clear. She uses her mother's maiden name to distiguish her from the other Agent Bartowski. :)**_

_**Still don't own Chuck. **_

**Back to the Basics**

After she was escorted out of Castle, Jamie walked, or rather, hopped (she was still on crutches) over to the Buy More. When she entered the doors, she was immediately stopped by Morgan.

"Hey, Jamie," He began, "You're still on sick leave. Are you sure you want to be here today?"

Jamie glanced at him, "Is it really sick leave if I've never even worked here?" She chuckled, but Morgan could tell that something was wrong, but he didn't wonder long, because Jamie continued, "I'm having a really bad day, and I need to take my problems out on a few sick computers."

Morgan grinned, "Well then, I got just the place for you!" He put his arm around her shoulders and started leading her towards the cage.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was at the Orange Orange, furiously wiping tables, when Casey came up the stairs, "Walker," He said.

Sarah glanced up momentarily, but kept wiping tables, "What?"

"Walker, you're being unprofessional."

"I know, Casey. Dating my 'boss' is _very _unprofessional." She chuckled sarcastically as she continued wiping tables.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. For God's sake, look at me Walker!" Casey raised his voice slightly in frustration. He wished he didn't have to, but it did get Sarah's attention; she stood up straight and looked at him. "Walker, the way you treat Coleman, the way you treat everybody, it has to stop. I don't care how you treat Bartowski at home, but when you're here, you're a spy, Walker, so start acting like one." He finished sharply and walked out the door, leaving a very bewildered Sarah.

It was right after Casey left that Chuck walked in. Sarah was sitting at one of the tables, her head in her hands. "Look, Sarah, we need to talk." Chuck said as he walked over to her table.

She looked up and smiled slightly, "Sit," She said softly.

"Look," They both said at the same time. They both chuckled.

"Look, Sarah, I'm sorry about how everything went down, but you need to know that I'm really worried about you. You just haven't been yourself lately." Chuck said.

Sarah took his hand in both of hers, "Chuck, it's okay, really. It's just…" Sarah began to tear up, "I'm tired, and I just want all this to go away. I'm at the end of my rope Chuck, I-I…" She started crying.

"Hey, hey," Chuck squeezed her hand, it's okay. Do you need a break or something?"

"Chuck please, I just need like two days. Just you and me. Please." She sniffled.

He took her in his arms as she continued to sob softly, "Okay, two days. We'll go somewhere next weekend, okay? I promise."

She looked up and smiled, "And for the record, it's okay with me that you're in charge of the team." She kissed him.

"Really? I'm so glad I have your approval, Agent Walker." He kissed her again before slowly planting kisses down the side of her neck.

"Okay, Chuck, not now, Sarah pulled away, "I have yogurt to serve."

Chuck looked disappointed, "I guess I can go find some hard drives to fix and continue that later tonight." He kissed her again, and then turned to leave. As he was exiting, he turned for a moment, "I'm glad you're not mad."

She smiled at him, and then he closed the door and walked toward the Buy More. When he walked in, Morgan saw him and ran over.

"Hey buddy, mind if I walk with you?"

"Not at all Morgan," Chuck answered absentmindedly.

"Dude, what's wrong with your sister?"

Chuck looked quizzically at the little bearded man, "What- Why do you ask?"

"She's like, super upset."

Chuck sighed as he sat down behind the Nerd Herd desk, "Well, if you must know, I sort of… got her suspended."

"What? From the CIA?" Morgan said, quite loudly and Chuck quickly shushed him, "From the CIA?" Morgan asked in a much quitter tone.

Chuck nodded his head.

"Dude! She's your sister! How could you do that?"

"Almost getting fellow agents killed while on an unauthorized mission is just a tiny bit unacceptable." Chuck muttered as he started looking through a pile of papers, then he looked up, "Wait, when did you talk to my sister?"

"She's in the back, man, fixing computers in the cage."

"Really?" Chuck asked, surprised.

"Yeah, she came in and insisted that I put her to work, so I did." Morgan replied. Just then, Casey walked up, "Hey, Casey," Morgan greeted cheerfully.

Casey gave Morgan a growl and a Menacing look.

"Right, well, I'm just gonna go and leave you two to discuss…whatever," Morgan muttered as he turned and left.

"Did you make up with Walker?" Casey asked.

Chuck glared at him, surprised, "What do you care?"

Casey mumbled, "Just wondering," and then continued out loud "Anyway, I have a proposition to make, and since you're our team leader now, I thought I would run it past you…"

Half an hour later, after running Casey's idea past Beckman, Chuck walked into the cage room. Jamie was sitting in the cage, diligently running diagnostics on a computer. She heard him come in, "What do you want?" She growled, and then she looked at him, a sad expression in her eyes, "I'm your sister, Chuck! How could you do this to me?"

"Hey! I did what I did because you were breaking up my team! I did it as a fellow agent, not as your brother."

"Oh and that makes it so much better." She scoffed.

"Ya know, Jamie, I really feel no need to explain myself. You brought this on yourself—you know that."

Jamie silently stared at the floor while Chuck continued, "I mean, seriously, did you really think that you'd get away with it forever?"

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, "I did do this to myself, didn't I? Chuck, what can I do to fix this?"

"Well," Chuck grinned, that's actually what I'm here to talk to you about. From what we've learned, Intrepid is an internal strike and is operating strongly in this area. You have the most knowledge of anyone on them, and since the CIA can't force you to hand over Reed's research, Casey proposed that we hire you as a consultant, or an analyst of sorts. What do you think?"

"Ummm, yeah, just one thing though… I was fired."

"Suspended," Chuck corrected, "You still work for the CIA. Oh and I left out the best part." Chuck smiled.

"What?"

"It is available for you to complete a spy training course, at the end of which Sarah and I will assess you and submit our reports to the CIA. They will then evaluate the reports and determine whether or not to let you back on as a full-fledged operative."

"Really?" Jamie's face broke out in a wide smile, "Chuck you are the best boss and brother ever!" She jumped up and gave him a hug.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"You actually got the General to agree to that?" Sarah asked, surprised. She was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and her mouth wide open.

"Honey," Chuck plugged his cell phone into the charger and turned to face her, "Jamie's a very sticky situation. We need to be extremely careful with how we handle her. If I would have left things the way they were, do you know what would have happened?" He asked as he lay down on the bed.

"No."

"She would have gone rogue, hacked into the CIA mainframe, and done serious damage."

"I just don't understand that girl," Sarah sighed as she lay down next to him.

"I know, honey, there's a precious few that do." He replied, kissing her forehead, "Now, I promised you that I'd pick up tonight where I left off this afternoon, so, where was I?"

Sarah giggled and pointed to a spot on her neck, "I think that you were right about there."

x-x-x-x-x-x

The next few weeks went by, and Jamie was happier than she had been in a long time. She still be a part of Team Bartowski, and she was almost entirely recovered from her accident, and would be able to start her training soon. In addition, her friendship with Chuck was blossoming, and today, he had called her while she was on her way home from work, just to chat. She was still on the phone with him when she walked into her apartment, she didn't really look around, she just dropped her keys in the dish, and from there walked into her room and stopped in surprise, "Uh, Chuck, I'll call you back." She hung up the phone and looked around her room. All of the pictures had been removed from the walls, which had been painted stark white. Her dresser was still there, but none of the decorations were there, and her beautiful, plush, queen sized bed had been replaced with a twin mattress on a metal frame.

Jamie walked out of her room, just as Casey walked through the front door, carrying a paper bag of groceries.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded.

"What?" He asked obliviously as he started unloading the groceries into the refrigerator.

"That room looks like the one I had during that four week intensive training course you put me through." She explained angrily.

Casey just grunted, but Jamie saw the knowing look in his eyes.

"That's it!" She exclaimed, "You're going Applebee Jones on me!"

He put the bag in a drawer and then faced her. "You're right. Because of your accident, I have decided to take you back to the basics."

"Casey, you really don't have to." She protested, "I… _was_ a spy, just get me conditioned and I'll be good as new."

He walked over to her, "Bedtime is no later than 2100 hours. You are to get up at 0500, at which time we will begin the morning workout regimen of one and a half hours. Breakfast will be at 0630, and will last until 0730. You will begin weapons training from 0800 until Noon, which is when you'll have lunch. At 1300 hours, we will begin your three-hour self defense workout. We will then spend a number of hours working on other various spy skills. Welcome back to training, Agent Coleman. Enjoy your last night of freedom."

"What about my job?"

"If you're working, we will work around that." Casey answered. "I'm sure we can work on some things while you're at the store."

"Casey, why are you doing this? It was a few bullet holes; a good workout will have me back in no time flat."

"I'm not doing this because you got shot," Casey answered, "I'm doing this because you went into that warehouse. Your training was never completed and you never should have gone out into the field. It's time for me to finish what I started. Do you understand?"

Jamie nodded her head, trying to remain calm, "Of course." She then walked over to the refrigerator.

"Casey?"

"Yeah?" He replied from the living room.

"Where's the left over chimichangas from last night?" She asked.

"I threw them out—No wait, I gave 'em to Chuck."

"Why did you do that?" she asked crossly.

"With your training regimen comes a new diet, which happens to be chimichanga-free."

"Is that what's with the asparagus and…" all of a sudden she gagged, "What is… this?" She pulled a package of meat out.

"Relax, it's Offal."

"Yeah, it looks awful!" Jamie grimaced.

"Organ meats, Jamie. They're very healthy for you."

Jamie stared at him disbelievingly, "Do you really hate me enough to make me eat guts and brains?"

"I'm not going to MAKE you eat anything; but if you're hungry, you'll eat what's on the menu. No exceptions. Any other questions?"

"Yeah… How long am I going to be in hell on earth?"

Casey chuckled and grunted, "As long as it takes."

"Just one more question, Casey," Jamie said.

"Yeah?"

"You work from noon to four most days. How am I supposed to get my self-defense training if you're at work?"

"Agent Walker has agreed to take on that portion of you're training. She said she'd be glad to kick your ass on a daily basis."

Jamie was petrified, "Prepare to die tomorrow at the hands of Sarah Walker," she muttered under her breath as she walked to her room.

_**Please review! Oh and don't worry, C&S weekend getaway will be in the next chapter.  
**_


	19. Getaway

_**Here is a chapter devoted to Chuck and Sarah. No really heated romance or anything, I thought that it would be a nice change to have some lighter, funner stuff, since this story is a little dark.**_

_**Don't own Chuck**_

**Getaway**

**Three weeks before Jamie's training began…**

_"Chuck please, I just need like two days. Just you and me. Please." She sniffled._

_He took her in his arms as she continued to sob softly, "Okay, two days. We'll go somewhere next weekend, okay? I promise."_

**Three weeks later…**

Chuck still hadn't been able to keep his promise. Being the new team manager meant a lot more responsibility. Sarah wait patiently, understanding his situation, but at the same time, was going stir-crazy. Chuck was so tired when he would get home at night that he would go straight to bed without any supper. Sometimes Sarah would walk into their room and find him asleep atop the covers, fully clothed. She was beginning to think that maybe he needed a vacation more than she did.

Chuck felt horrible about not being able to take her somewhere as he had promised. Sarah really needed it, and so did he. Sarah assured him that it was okay; that the right time would come for them to go, but Chuck knew that it was anything but okay, which is why today, three weeks after he had made the promise, he walked into the apartment. Sarah was lying on the couch reading a magazine, and she looked up when she heard the door open.

"Hey Chuck," she greeted with a smile.

He walked behind the couch and leaned over to kiss her, then he said, "Baby, pack your bags, I got us a vacation."

Sarah sat up, "Really?" she asked, the smile on her face getting wider.

"Really. We're leaving Saturday. And the best part…Wait for it...we get a whole week." He kissed her again, "I have to run, I just came home to tell you. I'll see you tonight. Love you!" He ran back out the door.

"Love you too," Sarah called after him, when he closed the door, she fully sat up, putting her legs over the edge of the couch. She squealed in excitement, she was so happy. A whole week with Chuck—No spies, no secrets, just the two of them, a hotel somewhere, maybe a beach, and a whole bunch of passionate love-making. Then she remembered…Training with Jamie. She promised Casey that she would do it. Her heart sunk to her feet; She couldn't go with Chuck, she had to stay in Burbank.

Suddenly, she had an idea. She was only supposed to be instructing Jamie in self-defense, which any agent could do. Besides, it was only a week, and any self-defense principles that she would learn in her first week, any agent could teach her. She picked up her cell phone and dialed a number, it rang, and it rang, and it rang. Sarah almost hung up, but then someone picked up on the other line—

_Hello?_

_Carina! It's Sarah. _

_Oh my God! Sarah! How are you?_

_I'm good; say I have a favor to ask of you, that is, if you're not busy next week._

_Actually, I'm between missions, so I would be glad to help. What do you need?_

So they settled it. Carina would come next week and fill in for Sarah. Casey, of course wasn't too happy about it, but Sarah reminded him that he wasn't the boss of her.

**That Saturday…**

"Honey, come on! We need to get going!" Chuck called as he walked back into the apartment after putting his luggage in the car.

"Yeah, Chuck, I'm on my way!" She called from the bathroom, "Could you put my stuff in the car?" Sarah may have been a kick- ass-ninja-super-spy girl when on missions, but she was just like any other normal girl when getting ready to leave for a vacation—The phrase "On my Way" meant, "I need another half hour to forty-five minutes, actually, make it an hour."

"Yeah sure, no problem…" He trailed off when he walked into the bedroom and was met by two enormous suit cases. He walked back out of the room and was met in the hallway by Sarah.

"Didn't the CIA teach you to pack light?" He asked.

Sarah grinned as she walked past him into their room and grabbed one of her suitcases, "This isn't a CIA mission, Chuck; it's a vacation with my boyfriend."

"Sarah, if you bring all those clothes with you, I swear, WE won't be able to fit in the car, even though I borrowed Awesome's SUV."

She just laughed and walked past him again, suitcase rolling behind her, "You'd be surprised, Mr. Bartowski, how much of the stuff in here is really necessary. Just one thing, we're not going to be going anywhere on an airplane, are we?"

Chuck flashed a goofy grin, "No."

"Whew," Sarah breathed a mock sigh of relief, "I seriously don't think that I could have gotten this suitcase past security."

Chuck looked alarmed, "What on earth do you have in there?"

Sarah laughed, "Kidding! Chuck! I was just messing with you!"

Chuck chuckled just a little, but then his face got serious, "Okay, well, come on, we need to get going." He grabbed her other suitcase and went out the door, just in time to see Carina walking up.

"Hey, Chucky," She greeted.

"Fantastic, just amazing," Chuck muttered sarcastically, but then he gave her his friendliest fake grin, "_Hello_ Carina," He greeted back as nicely as he could, but found it hard to hide the menacing tone in his voice, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I…" She began, but just then, Sarah walked up.

"Hey!" Sarah said, "You're here." She hugged Carina before continuing, "Here's the key to the apartment. You can sleep in my room."

"What?" Chuck asked abruptly, "Sarah, what's going on? That's MY room too, ya know!"

Sarah glared at him, "She's here to fill in for me while I'm gone. And if it'll make you feel better, she can sleep in Morgan's room."

Carina just stood there, amusedly watching their banter. Finally, she said, "I'm sure Morgan and I will figure things out. You guys need to hit the road." She brushed past them and walked into the house.

"Wha…" Chuck began.

"Don't even start," Sarah warned as she grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the car, "Come on, we need to get going."

"Oh, so NOW you're in a hurry." Chuck teased.

Finally, they were on the road, they drove in silence for a while, but eventually, Sarah spoke, "So where are we going?"

"Disneyland." Came Chuck's short answer.

Sarah gulped, "Uh, Chuck, you know that if there is one place in the whole world that I hate going to more than Montana, it's Disneyland, don't you?"

Chuck looked at her, a fake surprised expression covering his face, but then it softened, "I was joking, sweetheart," Then he got a real look of surprise, "You hate Montana?"

"I guess 'hate' is a strong word. I think it's depressing. I mean, there's like, nothing there. I'm sure some people like it, but I prefer the big city."

"And why do you hate Disneyland? I mean, I know you hate it, I just never knew why."

"When I was little, my dad took me. Mickey Mouse hugged me and it scared the shit out of me. So there was that, and then I almost fell out of a ride. Then I lost my Dad, and was separated from him for like, six hours. I guess it just holds scary memories for me." Sarah explained

"Hey, I get it."

Sarah changed the subject, "So… Where are we going?''

Chuck grinned and grabbed her hand, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

Chuck had planned a trip to take her up to Northern California. She had always wanted to see the giant redwood trees, and he had always wanted to take her. It was one of the most romantic getaways that she had ever been on; rivaling the time that Bryce had surprised her with a trip to Cabo. No, wait, her trip with Chuck was better because she knew that Chuck really loved her and that Bryce was just trying to get in her pants. Hell, why was she even thinking about Bryce?

The most fun day was when they visited Rockefeller Forest. Sarah had insisted that the hike to the biggest tree, and Chuck agreed, that is, until he realized that the only way to get there was to cross a fallen giant redwood that acted as a bridge across the river, which must have been about a hundred feet across and ten feet above the water.

"Uh, Sarah, I'm not so sure about this…" Chuck said shakily.

"Chuck, it'll be fine. It's perfectly safe, see?" She stepped onto the log and balanced on it.

"Honey, I'd really feel a lot better if we just stayed on firm ground."

"Chuck, please trust me." Sarah implored, "I've wanted to see this tree for a long time, and I want you to be there."

"Fine," Chuck stepped on the log, "But if anything happens to me, it's your fault." Then he muttered under his breath, "Who knew a CIA agent could be such a nut about a stupid tree?"

He continued walking across the tree, not taking his eyes off his feet, which was probably not such a good idea, "Hey, Sarah, I guess this isn't so bad!" He laughed nervously, and then looked up, "Sarah?"

Sarah had already gotten across the log and was standing on the other side waiting for him. Chuck looked behind him and saw that he had only gone about three feet. Sarah was watching him, and realized that he was about to panic, "Chuck!" She called. When he looked up at her, she continued, "It's okay! Just keep looking at me. Just put one foot in front of the other and keep your eyes on me!" Chuck did as he was told, holding his arms out for balance.

"That's right!" Sarah called, "You're doing great!"

Before he knew it, he had made it across the log, and he had done it with no injuries.

"I did it!" He exclaimed as he jumped down into Sarah's arms, "I actually did it!"

Sarah smiled and hugged him back. She loved it when he acted like the loveable man-boy that she had first fallen in love with. Of course she loved him the way he was now too, but when he got all excited about his little accomplishments, it reminded her that spy or not, Chuck would always be _**her**_ Chuck.

"Okay," Chuck backed away from the embrace, "Now that I'm safely across, we had better go see that tree."

The rest of the day was a lot of fun. They had brought a picnic lunch, and set it up near one of the giant redwoods. They sat near a river and talked, went to a gift shop and bought souvenirs, and then they went to the drive through tree.

"Sarah Lisa," Chuck had said, "I can't believe you are making me pay actual money just so that we can drive through a stupid hollowed-out tree. A ride that is going to take all of five seconds"

Sarah gave Chuck her best puppy-dog eyes and pouty lip.

His expression softened and he chuckled a little, "Fine."

The ride was short, but it was worth it. After they drove through the tree, Sarah got out, and taking one of her well-concealed knives, carved "C&S" with a heart around it on the inside of the trunk. So many people had carved there before that it was hard to tell that she had even added anything, but Chuck still thought that it was one of the sweetest things that Sarah had ever done.

For the rest of the week, they traveled around, staying in shabby motels and making love like it was the last thing keeping the universe together.

On their way back to what Sarah thought was home, she fell asleep in the passenger's seat. Chuck smiled when he saw her. It looked like his Sarah was going to be okay.

**Several hours later…**

"Sarah," Chuck shook her gently, "Sarah, honey, wake up. We're here."

Sarah groaned a little and half-opened her eyes, "What? Where are we?"

"Barstow."

"Barstow? Why?" She opened her eyes and looked out the window, "Chuck…" She breathed, it's… the motel."

"Mhm. I thought that we could recreate that night, or rather, morning that we were here." He paused and kissed her, "With some major improvements."

And that is exactly what happened.

When they started on their way home the next morning, Sarah not only felt rejuvenated, she felt like a completely different person, ready to take on anything that came her way.

_**So there's Chapter 19… Hope you enjoyed.**_

_**Okay, so the river crossing part… I took that from something that actually happened to me when I visited Rockefeller forest earlier this year. That tree crossing the river actually does exist, and I crossed it, even though I am severely acrophobic. It was crazy scary… If you've ever been there, you probably know what I mean.**_

_**I don't know if Chuck is actually afraid of heights, but in my story, I guess he is!**_

_**Oh, and Carina will be back, maybe even several times.**_

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	20. Revolutionized View

_**I present Chapter 20! Horrible writer's block aside, I think that this chapter turned out okay. **_

_**I don't own Chuck**_

**Revolutionized Views**

Sarah walked down into Castle to find Jamie sitting at the table going over a file.

"Hey Sarah, did you miss me?" Jamie asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, immensely," Sarah scoffed, and then added, "What are you doing?"

"Going over a file. I'm still adjusting to being nothing more than analyst."

"How did training with Carina go?" Sarah asked.

"With Carina? Oh, good. We really connected."

"I'm serious, Jamie."

"Truthfully, everything she taught me, I already know."

In a flash, Sarah attacked Jamie and had her pinned face-forward on the floor. "Forget everything you ever learned," she hissed, "What Carina taught you, it's the first time you've ever learned it. You're a clean slate, understood? "

"Yeah, Understood." Jamie replied, her voice muffled by her face being pressed against the training mat. "Sarah?"

"What?"

"Can you let me up now?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Sarah released her and stood up.

Day after day, week after week, it was the same routine for Jamie. It was beginning to wear on her, but at the same time, she felt oddly good about herself. There was structure in her life, and she could go through her day without being afraid to get caught or reprimanded, or even worse, suspended.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was sitting at the table in Castle going over mission reports after her training session with Jamie one day, when she heard the door open. She didn't think much of it unitl she heard her name.

"Uh, excuse me, Agent Walker?"

Sarah knew she had heard that voice somewhere before. She turned her head around and sure enough, she was right. "Agent Rayner!"

"Oh my God! You're _Sarah Walker!_" Tripp exclaimed as he went to hug her, "I should have put two and two together. How the heck are you?"

"I'm good and you? Gosh how long has it been?"

"Too long," he chuickled as he pulled away from the hug, "Gosh I think the last time I saw you, must have been back in '05 or '06."

Sarah sat back down, "Yeah, you came to observe me and Agent Larkin. Gosh, you were just a kid!"

"I was twenty-two, and had a huge crush on you." He laughed.

Sarah laughed too, but when it subsided, she asked, "So what are you doing here?"

"The general sent me. I'm working undercover in San Diego. I'm a specialist on Intrepid, and since Agent Coleman is no longer an agent, the General has instructed me to help your team in any way that I can."

"You know Jamie?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, we used to date." Tripp chuckled.

"Really? I can understand why you broke up." Sarah said, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips.

"Actually she's the reason I'm here." Tripp informed her, "I kind of wanted to talk to you as I understand you're not her biggest fan."

"Yeah, you could say that, but if you're here to plead her case, then I'm not really interested in hearing."

"Look, Sarah, Just hear me out. Jamie was recruited into the CIA when she was thirteen years old, and after that, she really had no life outside of her handlers and trainers. Emotionally, Jamie is still thirteen years old. She tries to act her age, and she does a pretty good job at it. She can fight and she can kill, But you can't expect a thirteen year old to deal with her emotions the way that you and I can. It's just not possible. She cracks under pressure and she acts impulsively, and any amount of spy training isn't going to fix that.

"What are you trying to say?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah, just show her that you care. I don't know how you're going to do that, you just need to do it."

Sarah chuckled a little under her breath. _Show Jamie that I care?_ She thought,_ How on earth am I going to do that? I can't stand the girl._

However, by the next day, Sarah had a plan. She was sitting at the table when Jamie came down for her training. Jamie greeted Sarah with a smile, but her smile changed to a look of confusion when she noticed that Sarah was not wearing workout clothes.

"Uh, Sarah, are we not training today?"

Sarah smiled, "Come here."

Jamie walked over to the table.

"Have a seat," Sarah instructed. When Jamie sat down, Sarah continued, "Tell me about Marcus Reed."

Jamie took a deep breath, "What do you want to know?"

Sarah shrugged, "Everything."

"Well, he came to my house the day after my mother's funeral. Told me his name and affiliations, and he asked me if I would be interested in working on a top secret government project. He told me that I was smart enough, and that the CIA would pay for my education as well, so I accepted."

"How long did you work on the intersect project?" Sarah asked.

"About three years. Then one day, Reed told me that I was going to start spy training, and so I did."

"Where did you live during all of this?"

"I had kind of a dorm room, but I also had a room at the Reed's apartment. He and his wife lived there, but they also had a house in Alexandria.

"Was your friendship with Reed real or for cover?"

Jamie was taken back by Sarah's question, "Um… I think it was real. Marcus' wife Giselle died about a year after I was recruited, and then we got closer, but he never took advantage of me or anything. He was like… My dad. So, yeah, I think it was real."

"You think?" Sarah questioned

"It seemed real. Sarah, he left everything to me. All his research, his house, his money, everything. I don't know if he actually cared about me, but I sure cared about him. I was thirteen when he found me, and he and Giselle, they took care of me. Look, I don't know where you're going with this, but all I ever wanted to do was find the people responsible for his death. You have to believe me!" She stood up and gave Sarah a menacing look, "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go train." She walked away from the table. As she walked away, she called, "And I know Chuck is hiding behind that door!"

Chuck walked out of the shadows, "Wow, I never thought she'd open up to you like that." He commented.

"Well, I still failed." Sarah sighed.

Chuck walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He then bent down and whispered in her ear, "Bryce."

Sarah turned her face towards his, "What?"

"Tell her what you went through with Bryce. Just tell the story to make it sound as close as possible to what she's going through."

"Why?" She asked, then it all became clear to her, "Oh my God, Chuck, you're right!"

Sarah walked onto the training floor. Jamie pretty much ignored her, and continued practicing with her bowstick.

"Jamie, have you ever heard about Bryce Larkin?" Sarah asked.

The younger woman continued to work on her moves, "Yeah, I've heard of him. Why?"

"Bryce Larkin was my partner and best friend. I trusted him implicitly, and it shattered me when I thought that he had gone rogue and got himself killed."

Jamie stopped what she was doing ,"But he did, didn't he?"

"Not exactly. But that's what I thought, and it made me really upset. I always knew that Bryce never would have gone rogue on his own accord and I wanted to know who made him do what he did, and I wanted to strangle them with my bare hands."

"But you didn't." Jamie pointed out.

"No, I didn't. Do you know what I did do though?"

Jamie shook her head.

"Instead of looking for _whoever _the reason was that he got killed, I looked for _whatever _he got killed for, and you know what? It worked. Instead of blindly trying to get revenge, I got to the bottom of why he was killed."

"And what was it?"

"The intersect," Sarah repled, "Bryce eventually came back and helped us to uncover the guys that he was working for."

"Yeah, Sarah, I don't think that Reed's coming back any time soon," Jamie scoffed.

"You're missing the point, Jamie. You can't do this mission with the mindset of revenge; revenge will come later. Right now, you need to focus on one thing, and that's finding out what the twelve keys are. That's your first step. Do you understand?"

Jamie nodded her head. "I think that I do."

Sarah's eyes were filled with compassion, "Reed didn't want you to avenge his death, Jamie, he merely wanted you to carry on his work. And we're here for you, every step of the way."

Jamie broke down, she just couldn't stop crying. She ran over to Sarah, who took her in an embrace. "Shhh, it's okay, everything's going to be fine," Sarah whispered.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Six weeks into Jamie's training, Sarah and Casey got together to talk.

"How's she doing in self-defense?" Casey asked.

"Pretty good." Sarah replied, she's got the hand to hand down, but fencing and bowstick skills still need some work. How's she doing otherwise?"

"Excellent." Casey said, "She's been sticking to her schedule perfectly, she's getting better with her weapons skills, and she's doing very well with her spy training. She's mellowed out a lot, if you haven't noticed."

"So how much longer do you think it's going to be before she's ready for me and Chuck to evaluate her skills?" Sarah asked

"Well, a couple more weeks, at most. Maybe longer, depending on how long it takes you to complete her self defense training."

"Casey, is she gonna need another Red Test?"

"That's up to you and Bartowski." Casey grunted, "Jamie's CIA. That's why my assessment doesn't matter."

"Well, I think that she's about ready for an assesment, too. Until then, I think that we can ease up on her training a bit." Sarah said.

"Sounds good to me," Casey grunted, "I'll call in a team, have them put her room back together."

When Jamie walked walked into her apartment after work, she could tell something was off. She dropped her keys in the key dish and then she heard footsteps. "Casey?" She called.

"Casey's not here," She heard a voice from behind her. She whirled around.

"Tripp." She whispered, then she ran over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, "Tripp, what are you doing here? Casey's going to kill you!" She hissed through her teeth.

"Jamie, relax," Casey's not going to kill me," Tripp chuckled, "In fact, he knows I'm here." Tripp walked back into the kitchen and came back out with two glasses of wine.

"Oh, no, Tripp, I can't drink. I'm on a special diet."

"Hey, it's okay, I promise. Casey said you're done."

"Really?" Jamie looked surprised as she took the glass of wine.

"He told me that Agent Walker said that you're about ready for an assessment, and until then, your training will be on your own accord."

Jamie took another sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving Tripp's. Her face began to widen into a smile.

"What?" Tripp asked.

Her smile faded a little, "I just started thinking; actually, I've been thinking for a long time."

"About what?"

"About you… and me…_us."_

Tripp was puzzled, "What about us?"

"I'm glad you're here, Tripp, because I've wanted to talk to you for a long time about our deal."

"What about it?"

"I want to back out of it." Jamie informed him.

"I should have known," The look of hurt on Tripp's face was evident, "You never were one to hold up your end of a bargain anyway." He chuckled bitterly, "Why should this time be any different?" He got up to bring his glass into the kitchen.

Jamie got up and chased him, "Tripp, that's not what I meant!" She grabbed his arm.

"Then what did you mean?"

"Tripp, I was stupid when I made that deal. I was arrogant and prideful, and I thought that it was going to be a piece of cake to bring Intrepid down. But now I realize that it might never happen; and if it never happens, Tripp, I'll never have you."

"What are you saying?"

"Tripp, I want to be with you, now." She reached her face toward his and kissed him. He kissed her back, but after a moment, he pulled away.

"Jamie, we can't be together. I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

"Because you're an asset now, not an agent. It's not only unprofessional, it's not allowed."

"But I'll be an agent soon!" Jamie protested.

"Jamie, Casey and Walker have spent the last six weeks turning you into the agent you should have been all along. Do you seriously think that I would jeopardize that by getting romantically involved with you, even after you were reinstated as an agent?" Tripp sighed, and then continued, I'll always love you, Jamie Bartowski, but you and me, right now we're not good for each other."

"So what you're saying is that YOU are backing out of the deal." Jamie angrily pointed out.

"No, once we stop Intrepid, you and I can quit the spy life and be together—for real." Tripp took her hands in his, "I promise." He kissed her on the forehead.

She looked at him and he looked at her. Even after that long rejection speech, he still couldn't resist her. Their mouths crashed together in a fierce battle of tongue-hockey that lasted about ten seconds, when once again, Tripp pulled away, "No! I can't do this." He could feel Jamie's hot breath on his neck.

"Please Tripp, give me this one night, and I will never ask you for anything again." **

_**I think that most of you can conclude what happened at the **_**_**…**_

_**Chapter 21 will be up in no time flat, and takes place three weeks after Jamie's night with Tripp. So stay tuned! **_

_**As always, REVIEW!**_


	21. Self Sacrifice

_**This is a bit of a longer chapter, with a lot of different ideas, but I hope that you like it.**_

_**Still don't own Chuck. **_

**Self-Sacrifice**

**Three weeks later…**

"Chuck, have you noticed that Jamie has been acting a little weird lately?" Sarah asked one night as she and her boyfriend made supper.

Chuck shrugged, "I guess she's been a little more tired than usual, but it's not affecting her performance at work or anything, so I really didn't think much of it."

"I'm worried that she might be sick or something. When we were training today, she asked for a break like every ten minutes."

Chuck laughed a little, "You? Worried about Jamie? That's a new one!"

"Hey," Sarah chided, "Cut me a break. The kid's kinda grown on me."

"I'll keep an eye on her at the Buy More, but seriously, Sarah, I don't think you need to be concerned; she's been training really hard to prepare for her assessment that we could surprise her with at any moment."

"Yeah, when are we going to do that?" Sarah asked.

"Soon," Chuck replied, "It's been almost month since you and Casey stopped her twenty-four-seven training, and I just wanted to make sure that she was actually into this, and that she wasn't just doing it because you two were shoving it down her throat."

Just then, Chuck's phone started buzzing. He picked it up. "Hey, we've got a mission!"

"Great, what is it?" Sarah wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to him, trying to see over his shoulder.

"Don't know. Briefing with the General in five."

The entire team, this time including Morgan, crowded into Casey's living room. The general's face came onto the monitor.

"Good evening, team. I'm sorry if I interrupted your dinners, but I have a mission for you."

"Great, general," Chuck replied, "What is it?"

"When Jamie broke into that compound and got shot, she was going after a certain flash drive that contained information on Intrepid, remember?"

Of course they remembered.

"Well, that flash drive is still out there, and we believe that we know where it is."

"Where, General?" Sarah asked.

"The CIA believes that the flash drive was moved to another location in LA, however, this isn't another warehouse; it's a company downtown, Keystone Gaming INC."

"Keystone Gaming?" Chuck repeated, "I know where that is! The CEO, Tom Ritter and I went to Stanford together!"

"Really?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, well, sort of, He was like, a Junior when I was a Freshman, so, I wasn't like, pals with him or anything, but I knew him. We were in the same fraternity, too. I doubt he'd remember me, though."

"Agent Bartowski, You will use your knowledge of the industry to gain access into the building, get a job there or something. It's up to you how you want to go about it. Jamie, you will go along, and observe from the van. You will also assist Agent Bartowski in any way you can." The general ordered, "Colonel Casey and Mr. Grimes, you will need to figure out a way to steal the drive once Agent Bartowski has located it. The reason for this is that We do not believe that Tom Ritter is Intrepid. We think that it's one of his employees, and we cannot have Chuck blowing his cover if the theft sets off an alarm or something."

"Excuse me, General, what about Sarah?" Chuck asked.

"If you get the job, hire Agent Walker as your secretary. She can cover for you while you are searching for the drive." The general instructed.

x-x-x-x-x-x

The next day, Chuck walked into Keystone Gaming, Incorporated. He knew that once he handed his r___é_sum___é_ in, that he would definitely get face time with the CEO. He handed his r___é_sum___é_ to the receptionist, and turned to leave, when he heard a voice behind him.

"Is that Chuck Bartowski?"

Chuck turned around, "Tom Ritter!" They shook hands, "Gosh, I didn't know if you'd remember me."

"It's hard to forget you, Chuck. We were in the same fraternity, and you were like, the only other guy who was into the kind of stuff that I was. Well, you and Bryce Larkin, but mostly you."

Chuck chuckled nervously.

Tom continued, "So what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm looking for a job, and I figured I'd at least give you my r___é_sum___é_." Chuck replied.

"Jen!" Tom called to the receptionist.

"Yes, Mr. Ritter?"

"Do you have that résumé that Mr. Bartowski just handed in?"

"Yes sir, right here." She held up the papers for him to see.

Tom walked over, took the papers from her and promptly stuffed them into the shredder.

Chuck was dumbfounded.

Tom then walked back over to Chuck, a smile on his face. Did you seriously think that you could walk in here, hand in a résumé, and walk back out?"

"Uh…" Chuck stammered.

"Dude! You're the guy I've wanted to walk through those doors for the past five years since I started this company! I don't need your résumé; you had this job from the moment that I first opened the doors of Keystone Gaming! When can you start?"

x-x-x-x-x-x

Everything went according to plan. Chuck was able to locate the flash drive, and Morgan and Casey managed to steal it. They captured their first Intrepid agent as well; sadly, it was the lovely receptionist, Jen. Sarah immediately took on the job as a temporary receptionist.

They gathered in Castle for debriefing with the General after the mission.

"Great work, team," General Beckman praised, "Your performance on this mission was exemplary. Our analysts are working on decrypting the data as we speak. On top of it all, Chuck has a brand new job. Congratulations, Agent Bartowski."

Jamie didn't hear anything that the General said; her stomach was churning. She felt nauseous, like the room was spinning. "I think I'm gonna hurl," She whispered quietly.

Chuck turned his head turned and looked at her worriedly, so did Sarah.

"Agent Coleman, are you alright?" The General asked, concerned.

"Uh, yeah, general. Bad breakfast," she explained. Then she put her hand to her mouth, "Oh God," She uttered as she ran out of the room.

"Agent Walker, go see if Agent Coleman is alright," the General ordered.

"Yes Ma'am." Sarah got up and walked out of the room. She knocked on the bathroom door before walking in. Upon entering, she saw Jamie leaning over the toilet.

"Jamie are you alright?"

"Hold my hair back would ya?" Was all she said in response.

Sarah brushed the hair out of Jamie's face as Jamie began another round of vomiting. "My God." Sarah breathed.

When Sarah was sure that Jamie was done throwing up, she went over to the faucet and got her a glass of water. "Here" She handed Jamie the glass.

"Thanks," Jamie said as she took the glass and proceeded to drink its contents.

"So, how long as this been going on?" Sarah inquired as she helped Jamie to her feet and led her over to the sink where she could wash the vomit off her face and out of her hair."

"Two weeks, maybe."

"Two weeks! Jamie, don't you think that you should see a doctor?"

"No."

"Why not?

"Because I already know what's wrong with me."

"What? Jamie, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I mean everything, I'm pregnant." Jamie's eyes were welling up with tears.

Sarah took a step back in shock, "Oh my god."

Jamie started crying, "Sarah, I don't know what to do! I mean, I'm twenty-three years old, and I'm going to be a mom. I wasn't supposed to be a mom until I was like, married and thirty-five."

"Hey," Sarah walked over and put her arms around Jamie, "It's going to be okay, I promise."

"I'm not so sure. How can you be so sure?"

"Because you are a strong girl. You are going to get through this, and you are going to be a great mom."

"You really think so?"

Sarah smiled comfortingly, "I do."

"Thank you," Jamie whispered as Sarah pulled her in for another hug.

Just then, Sarah realized something. "Wait, Jamie, who's the dad?"

"Tripp Rayner," Jamie admitted.

"Does he know?" Sarah asked.

"No, and I don't plan on telling him, because we weren't even supposed to be together. If the CIA found out, there would be serious hell to pay."

"Have you told Casey?" Sarah prodded.

Jamie's frightened expression turned to horror, "Absolutely not! Sarah, we have to keep this a secret. We still have to train every day, just like we have been. Please, I'm begging you."

"Okay," Sarah agreed, "But Casey's your handler, and you'll have to tell him sometime."

x-x-x-x-x-x

"So, have you told Casey yet?" Sarah asked one day about a week later, as they were working out. Jamie was on the stationary bike, and Sarah was on the elliptical machine.

"Sarah, I was a world-class spy. I fought terrorists with my bare hands. I have shot someone from a half a mile away… and killed them. I once even made a very dangerous drug lord believe that I loved him. I was one of the most ruthless spies in the CIA, and yet with all that, I am too afraid to tell Casey the truth. I can't do it Sarah, I just can't do it!" Jamie looked like she was about to cry.

Sarah didn't give in to Jamie's apparent hunger for sympathy. "Jamie, you and I, we're friends, aren't we?"

Jamie nodded her head, "Yeah, I guess."

And if I screw up, you'll take care of me, right?

Once again, Jamie nodded her head.

"And if I can't do something and you can, you'd do it for me, would you not?''

"Sarah, where are you going with this?"

"I'm saying," She paused for a moment, and then continued, "I'm saying that I'm going to tell Casey if you can't."

Little did they know, Casey was hiding around the corner and heard every word that they had just said. However, they were not really mentioning specifics, so he was completely confused. He finally stopped eavesdropping and left Castle.

"Sarah, you wouldn't!" Jamie exclaimed.

"He's going to find out, Jamie,'' Sarah said, "and it'll be a lot easier on him and you if you tell him sooner than later. It will also be a lot easier on him and you if he hears it from you instead of me or Chuck, or even worse, Morgan."

"Chuck and Morgan know?"

"No, but they have a nose for this sort of stuff." Sarah said.

Jamie cringed at the thought of Casey finding out from Morgan. "Okay, I'll tell him tonight." She promised.

x-x-x-x-x-x

It was at the same time that a lovely woman with light brown hair walked into the Buy More. She was about 5' 3", and maybe 35 years old.

"Excuse me; may I speak with the assistant manager? She smiled at the sales associate behind the customer service desk. "I'm Molly Monroe from corporate."

The associate pointed her to where Morgan was standing. Ms. Monroe sauntered over to him, "Mr. Grimes, I'm Molly from Corporate, may I have a few moments of your time?"

"Absolutely," he smiled, "Please, step into my office." He guided her through the 'employees only' doors, and that was when everything went black.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Jamie and Sarah were just finishing their workout when Sarah's phone started buzzing. She picked it up, "It's Morgan." She said.

She answered it, "_Hey Morgan, what's up?"_

"_Well, not me, definitely not me!" _He whispered

"_Morgan, what's wrong, and why are you whispering?" _ Sarah asked.

"_Some lady came into the Buy More, saying she was from corporate. Next thing I know, I'm in the trunk of a speeding car."_

"_Morgan, don't worry, we're gonna find you." S_he handed the phone to Jamie, explained the situation to her, and then said, "Keep him calm, I'm gonna trace his call."

Jamie took the phone, "_Morgan, sweetie? It's Jamie here. Stay calm, Sarah's trying to locate you."_

"_Why would she kidnap me?" _Morgan wondered aloud.

Jamie had an idea of who the woman might be, _"Morgan, what was her name and what did she look like?" _She asked.

"_She was short, had brownish hair, blue eyes and a pretty smile. I think her name was Molly M-something."_

"_Monroe?" _ Jamie asked.

"_Yeah that's it, I think. Why, do you know her?"_

Jamie's face grew serious. She covered the mouthpiece on the phone with her hand, "Sarah how much longer until the call is traced?"

"Something's interfering with the signal, so it's taking longer than usual, but it should be no more than five more minutes." Sarah replied.

Jamie put the phone back up to her ear, _"Morgan, the woman that kidnapped you is Marsha McCauley. She's a very dangerous person, but don't worry, she's not going to hurt you."_

"_How do you know?" _Morgan asked shakily.

"_Because it's not you that they want. They're using you as bait, but I promise, nothing is going to happen to you."_

"_How can you be so sure?"_

Just then, the trace was completed, "Got it!" Sarah exclaimed.

"_Okay, Morgan, hang tight, we're coming for you." _ Jamie assured him, and then hung up the phone.

"You shouldn't have given him false hope," Sarah reprimanded, "You have no idea if they're going to hurt him."

"Sarah, they don't want anything from him. They're using him as bait to lure something else out." Jamie said.

"What's that?"

Jamie hesitated for a minute, "Me," She finally said, "She wants me, and as long as she gets me, Morgan will be unharmed."

"Let me get this straight, she kidnaps Morgan to get you out of the shadows? Why?"

"Because she knows that I know who she is, and I have something she wants. She also knows that I'll want to protect my team."

"Well she's not going to get you."

"Yes she is," Jamie contradicted, and before Sarah knew what was happening, Castle had gone into detention mode.

"Jamie, what are you doing?" Sarah ran over to the window that separated them.

Sarah, I have to do this. I know I'm being stupid, but if we ever want to see Morgan alive again, I have to hand myself over to her. I'm sorry."

"Jamie!" Sarah screamed after the retreating girl, but Jamie didn't look back. She just ran up the stairs and out the door.

Sarah backed away from the window, and sat back down. She felt like all the training that Jamie had just gone through had been for nothing. It was a failed attempt. Renegade still hadn't been stopped. She rested her forehead on the table in defeat.

Still, things might not be as they seem…

_**There's Chapter 21 people! Hope you like it.**_

_**Chapter 22 will be up hopefully by next Saturday.**_

_**Please Review!**_


	22. Renegade Returns, Sort of, Or Not

_**Here is the Chapter that I promised to you! I hope you like it. I've been busy working on my other fic, which seems to be more popular than this one ever was, so I sort of put this one on the back burner…No worries, though, there will still be fairly frequent updates.**_

_**I don't own Chuck.**_

**Renegade Returns…Sort Of...Or Not  
**

Sarah tried to open the glass door several times, but every attempt failed. Jamie had also cut off all communications in the room, so Sarah couldn't call for help either. As much as she didn't want to, she was going to have to shoot the door down. After she had done so, she ran up the stairs two by two to the Orange Orange, and bolted across the parking lot to the Buy More. She ran up to the Nerd Herd desk, panting. Chuck was standing there, his back towards her, but when he heard her heavy breathing, he turned around.

"Sarah, hey, what's going on?"

Casey walked over, "Yeah, I'd like to know the same thing."

"Morgan was kidnapped by Intrepid, and they're holding him, and… They want your sister, Chuck, and she's gone after Morgan and …"

"Sarah, we have to get him back!" Chuck interrupted her. Then he started toward the door.

"Wait," Casey grabbed Chuck's arm, "I think that we should all just calm down here."

"Why… Why would we calm down? He's my best friend! By the way would you let go of my arm? It kinda hurts."

Casey released Chuck's arm, "I don't know why I'm saying this, but I think Jamie has a plan."

Sarah looked around, "Maybe we should discuss this in Castle."

They got down to Castle, and as soon as they closed the door from the Orange Orange, Sarah started talking.

"Morgan's gonna be fine; Jamie said so."

"Like you would trust her." Chuck muttered sarcastically.

"Look, Chuck, I know that she and I haven't always gotten along the best, but somehow she knows what's going on in this situation, and the only thing that we can do is trust her on it."

"What do you know about her mission?" Casey asked.

"Well, a woman went into the Buy More under a false name looking for Morgan, who she then kidnapped. Morgan called us from the trunk of a car, and we were able to trace it, after which Jamie locked me in Castle and took off. Oh, and Jamie said that the woman's name was Marsha McCauley."

"Marsh—Marsha McCauley—I've heard that name before," Chuck thought out loud. "Wait! I flashed on her ex-partner, Tripp Rayner back in D.C."

"And you didn't tell me?" Sarah asked a menacing tone in her voice.

"I was kinda sworn to secrecy about the trip to D.C. It was before I decided to go 'Agent Carmichael' on Jamie." Chuck defended himself.

Sarah huffed, "Do you remember the flash?"

"Uh, yeah, let's see, Agent Tripp Rayner, age 26, romantically involved with my sister Jamie, was presumed to have gone rogue with Agent Marsha McCauley, but that was never confirmed." He paused, "Maybe I should flash on Marsha. Do we have a picture of her?"

"Sure do." Sarah pulled out the picture that they had gotten from the Buy More surveillance.

Chuck glanced at it, and almost had a flash overload. Almost two munities later, he snapped out of it.

"Whoa," He said, shaking his head, "Don't ever show me that picture again."

"What did your flash tell you?"

"Agent Marsha McCauley, age 32, Agent of the CIA. Was recruited at age 20 by Langston Graham, worked with several partners, was also a candidate for the human intersect project, but her scores weren't high enough. She was partnered with Tripp Rayner after he..." Chuck trailed off for a moment, "After he completed his observance of Bryce Larkin and Sarah Walker." He turned to Sarah, "You know this guy?"

"Yeah, I do actually." Sarah replied, "He wanted to be the perfect spy, and he wanted to see me and Bryce in action, so the CIA sent him to observe us for about six months. Finish telling me about your flash."

"Well, the whole partnering thing triggered another flash," Chuck continued, "They were on a mission in Moscow when Marsha went rogue. He went after her and Chelsea Cooley was left to pick up the pieces, which triggered another flash that told me that Chelsea Cooley is actually my sister who was sent as reinforcement for McCauley and Rayner. She and Rayner had been romantically involved since she had been put in the field, and he had requested for her to join him in Moscow. They were about to move their operation to Paris, and I think that they were going to get married."

"That was all in the intersect?" Casey asked.

"Sure was," Chuck replied, "But that's not the end of the story. "They were on the mission in Moscow, and had infiltrated an enemy base. Turns out, our good friend Marsha had turned to the other side and nearly killed Tripp and Jamie in an explosion. They, of course, escaped and lived. They broke up; Tripp took off after Marsha, and Jamie stayed in Moscow. She was reassigned shortly thereafter to Malaysia, which is where she was when Reed was killed."

"So is Rayner rogue?" Casey asked.

"Well, he was assigned by the CIA to head the Intrepid investigation, and it was never confirmed that he was working for the other side." Sarah said.

"Wait, you've had contact with him?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, both Casey and I have." Sarah replied.

"You should have said something! We need to get him here, like, now!" Chuck exclaimed.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Jamie was following Morgan's cell phone signal, and was taking every shortcut possible to catch up with Marsha. All she could hope was that she could catch up before they got to their destination.

She watched her monitor as she got closer and closer to the signal, until she realized that she was only about 300 yards away from it. Her heart started beating hard, and she could feel her breakfast coming up. _Now is not the time to get morning sickness Jamie, she_ muttered to herself. She took a deep breath to keep it from coming up.

She maintained a 30-yard tail on them for the rest of the way to the Intrepid compound. She drove up just in time to see Marsha getting out of the car. Marsha noticed Jamie driving up, and pulled out her gun. Jamie parked the car and got out, her hands over her head. They stood there for a moment, about a hundred feet away from each other.

"Well, well, if it isn't!" Marsha yelled.

"I'm unarmed; Marsha, just hand Morgan over and we'll call it even." She called.

"Yeah, I don't think that's very even." Marsha said, "You know what I want, and I'm keeping the little bearded man until I get it."

"Then let's make a deal. I turn myself in, and you release him. Right here, right now, and nobody gets hurt." Jamie said, "Now let me see him."

Marsha opened the trunk, and Morgan climbed out, "Well thank you," He mumbled, "It was starting to get kinda cramped in there…Jamie!" He started to run toward her, but Marsha grabbed him and held him back.

"Not so fast, buddy." She snarled, "Here he is!" She called.

"Okay, now send him over, and I'll come that way at the same time."

"Alright, but you try anything stupid, Jamie, and I _will _kill him."

Morgan and Jamie started walking toward each other. They met in the middle.

"Go straight back to Castle, Morgan. Don't do anything dumb, got it?" She whispered to him.

"Jamie, what are they going to do to you?" Morgan asked worriedly.

"That's not important. You're safe and you need to get back to Castle. Just one thing- Don't call them, don't notify them, and don't contact them in any way, okay? Not until you get back."

"Move it!" Marsha yelled.

Jamie hugged him. "Goodbye Morgan."

"Goodbye, Jamie, and for the record, I don't care what anybody says; you are a _great _spy."

The remark brought tears to her eyes. "Thank you," She squeezed him harder for a second, then released him, "Now run." She directed.

Morgan turned and ran just as Marsha came up and grabbed her by the arms, tying her hands behind her back. Right before Morgan reached the car he turned to look at her one more time. When Marsha saw him, she grabbed her gun and pointed it at him.

"Morgan run!" Jamie screamed, tears running down her face.

Morgan ran and dove into the car just as Marsha fired.

"You said he would be safe." Jamie muttered resentfully.

"Well, you got your wish, but come on Jamie, have I ever been one to keep my word?"

x-x-x-x-x-x

Tripp ran down the Castle stairs, "Okay, Sarah, talk to me, what's going on?"

Sarah was frenetically typing on the keyboard, trying to pick up some type of signal from Jamie, but had failed at all attempts. She looked up at Tripp, "Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"Just tell me what's going on?" He instructed.

"Marsha McCauley kidnapped Morgan, then Morgan called us, then Jamie locked me in Castle and went after him." She stated.

"And you don't think that Jamie can handle herself on this mission?"

"No I don't."

"Why not?" They heard someone behind them ask; it was Chuck.

Sarah just stared at him blankly while searching for words.

"Sarah, why not?" Chuck repeated his question "Is it because you don't think she's capable, or is it that you don't think she's ready, or is it just because you have stereotyped Jamie in your head? It's that, isn't it?"

Sarah opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, and then closed it again.

"That's what I thought." Chuck said as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Tripp said.

Chuck turned back around.

Tripp continued, "There's something she's not telling us." He turned toward Sarah, "Sarah, what are you hiding? 'Cause if you know something, now would be the time to tell us."

She went back to facing the monitor, "I don't know anything. Let's just focus on finding her, okay?"

"Sarah," Tripp began, a smirk forming on his face, "You're forgetting that I am one of Jamie Bartowski's closest friends. I am one of the only people in the world who can tell when she's lying, which means that I can pretty much tell when anybody is lying, and believe me, you know something."

Chuck walked up behind her, "Sarah," he said softly, "just tell us the truth."

Sarah clenched her fists, "She told me not to tell anyone, and I promised her I wouldn't."

"Sarah, I don't think that rules apply here. They could be torturing her for all we know."

"She's pregnant, okay?" Sarah blurted, and then turned her face towards Tripp, "With your baby."

Tripp's face furrowed, and he took a step back. He was shocked, but he couldn't let it affect him right now. He needed to stay focused.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Morgan drove as fast as he could back to Castle. He was shaking like a leaf, and was having a hard time concentrating on his driving. He was about ten miles from Castle when the laptop in the passenger's seat bleeped on. He looked down at the screen, and all it said was, "_Press Enter"._

Morgan, of course, pressed enter, and an automated voice came through the speakers, saying _"Download Successful; playback will begin immediately."_

Evidently, Jamie had bugged herself—Of course she had, she was Renegade, not Brainless!

The playback began, and Morgan listened in shock. When he arrived down in Castle, he stumbled in, his expression horrified. Sarah looked up and saw him.

"Morgan!" She cried as she ran over to him, taking him in her arms, then she took his face in both of her hands, "Oh my God, are you okay?"

He nodded his head before she hugged him again.

When she noticed that he hadn't said a word, she backed away. She studied him for a moment, then asked, "Morgan, what's wrong?"

"I know something, and I don't know if this thing is bad or not, but since we're dealing with bad guys, I'm going to make the assumption that it's bad…"

"Morgan, buddy, what is it?'' Chuck asked.

"I know why they want Jamie." He said shakily, "And it's not because of her knowledge of Intrepid."

"Well if it isn't that, then what is it?" Tripp wondered aloud.

"Think! Think, Mr.," Morgan paused for a moment, trying to think if he had seen this guy before. When he concluded that he never had, he continued, "Mr. Agent-that-I-don't-know, what is another thing that she's got a lot of knowledge on that might be of interest to an organization such as theirs?"

Nobody said anything for a few minutes, and then all of a sudden, Chuck and Sarah jerked their heads up and looked at each other in horror.

"Oh my God," They said in union, "It's…."

_**It's a cliffhanger, people!**_

_**Review, tell me what you think. I think that this story is coming to an end, but it most definitely will have a sequel. I was going to make it into one long story, but now looking at it, I think that I will make it into two, since the second half is really a little more about Chuck and Sarah. **_

_**There will probably be one or two more chapters, then I will start a sequel. **_

_**Also, if you're a fan of AU, you should check out my new story, No Mere Coincidence. It's a lot of fun to write, and personally, I think it's better than this fic!**_


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